Overwatch
by Ominae
Summary: The events of FMP began when efforts were being done to free Japanese nationals from a hijacked Boeing 747 airplane in North Korean soil with inside assistance from two of its passengers. A novelization of Full Metal Panic.
1. Reunion

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. I only own one unnamed character, who will be revealed later on.

To all readers:

- A few years ago, I did an FMP story called Covert Mission. I had to remove it due to plot problems. But otherwise, everything should be okay and fixed now. Hope that this comeback FMP AU story will be worth the wait. I'll try to blend this fanfic with a bit of Tom Clancy-esque action and drama written all over this story... I promise a lot of gunfights and Arm Slave combat in the next subsequent chapters.

Sorry if I did this late. School's keeping me busy, but I'll try and see if I can finish this by the end of the year. Also, I deleted the first one by mistake. By far, this is the better version that the one I planned. Boy, do I just hate it when you're nearly done and then, you delete it by mistake. I've also been playing Persona 3 and Gundam Musou lately too, so blame it on my video gaming past time for that. Heh. However, I'll try and update this story as much as I can.

Summary:

The events of FMP began when efforts were being done to free Japanese nationals from a hijacked Boeing 747 airplane in North Korean soil with inside assistance from two of its passengers. Who are they and how will they get to be involved? A novelization of Full Metal Panic.

Chapter 1: Reunion

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

"Captain!"

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa, 17-year old MITHRIL officer with the rank of Captain and Whispered, was being called by her subordinate, Lieutenant Commander Andrei Kalinin, by her side after he had concluded a meeting with Special and Primary Response Team members over the hijacking of Japan Airlines 903 by Gauron and his North Korean allies.

"Yes? What is it?"

Kalinin handed her a faxed paper from the communication officer's workstation before standing beside her command chair. "I just got these orders in after the briefing. Apparently from Admiral Borda."

"What does he want?" Tessa browsed over, reading the orders line by line.

"Apparently, HQ was able to uncover the alias used by Gauron alongside some North Korean State Security Department agents and special forces commandos from the Korean People's Army Ground Forces used prior to the hijacking. However, that's not the reason that orders had came in urgently."

"Oh?" Tessa was eager to hear what else he had to say, given the situation.

"The Admiral had also said that two SRT operatives had been mingling with the hostages in the course of the hijacking. We can assume that they're out of danger."

"Really?" Tessa had felt that luck was on their side. Kalinin nodded in reply.

"Yes, captain. All the information I got is that one of them is from the same class as Ms. Chidori. The other happened to be accommodated at the last minute due to a conflict in flight schedule and had to be in Flight 903. Probably the same ruse was also used by Gauron too."

"Is there any information about the other SRT operative, Lieutenant Commander?"

"Little information has been handed out." Kalinin said after shaking his head. "But we do know is that these two had served in the Indian Ocean Fleet prior to the current situation."

Tessa played with her braid and sighed about the information that she was told about. _Oh dear. We have two SRT operators who could turn the tables around, but I don't have enough information to make a judgement call..._

"Regardless of this, Captain. I suggest that we get in touch with them at once and communicate with them secretly. It's our only way to help turn the situation around to our advantage. Besides, we've already got the necessary data needed to contact them."

Tessa was a bit hesitant for a while in considering Kalinin's suggestion. "Sounds fair, but who do we communicate with?"

"I suggest we start with the student mingling in Ms. Chidori's class aside from Sergeant Sagara..."

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130E Hercules, somewhere over North Korean airspace

Inside the cargo section of a United States Air Force C-130E transport aircraft, several figures were in their seats since the C-130E was flying with various small arms at the ready. The aircraft had been covertly flying in North Korean airspace after taking off from the Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul via Yokota Air Base in Fussa, Tokyo. So far, the C-130E had been flying low in order to avoid being detected by radar installations manned by the KPA. A single mistake in altitude difference could mean life and death for the C-130E's occupants, both crew and passengers alike.

"You alright, Liquid?" A man with a semi-dark complexion in his early 30s sat next to a blonde man wearing a brown trench coat, brown BDU trousers and Altama Jungle Boots.

"No, not really Octopus." Liquid sighed and massaged his temples. He wondered why Octopus would go on an operation with nothing but a brown trench coat covering his dress shirt and tie with black trousers and black dress shoes to boot, even though he insisted to Octopus that he shouldn't wear business clothing for a covert military operation. "Just wondering if you'll be alright wearing that. I mean, we are conducting a rescue operation with _them _along. The Pentagon had probably done this to score popularity points."

"Don't bother with that." A man seated next to Octopus was wearing a black sneaking suit that had its collars upright, nearly covering his mouth. "Besides, it's the man's decision if he wants too or not."

"One of these days..." muttered Liquid. "Just one of these days..."

"Are you trying to influence him, Viper?" asked Octopus. Viper simply shrugged his shoulders.

Next to Viper, two women wearing white coats with All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment (ALICE) web gear and pouches, gray trousers and Altama Jungle Boots were busy chatting with each other, not minding the earlier conversation that Liquid was having with Octopus and Viper.

"Are you ready for this battle, Wolf?" The woman with blonde hair asked her companion, who had short brown hair. She had a Heckler and Koch PSG-1 sniper rifle at her lap.

"I am ready for this, Sophie N'dram." Wolf answered Sophie's reply. "And you?"

Sophie had expected that she would probably be asked the same question. She grinned at Wolf, who threw her own question back at her. "Of course. After all, we are FOXHOUND operatives..."

"How interesting." A red-headed man with two adult-sized marionettes wearing kimonos were seated next to Sophie. He then faced Sophie and Wolf and gave a smile. "I never expected that I'd be fighting alongside two of FOXHOUND's loveliest again."

"Quit being sarcastic, Owl." Wolf's tone seemed to have a non-friendly appearance for Owl.

"Ow..." Owl pretended to feel hurt by Wolf's words. "You're hurting my feelings, Wolf."

"You want your feelings to get hurt for real?" Sophie growled at Owl, cracking her knuckles in front of him. This time, Owl decided to shut up and save his energy for the operation.

Next to Owl, a man wearing an Shalon Chemicals Model No. 4 gas mask and a black skin-tight suit and a 57-year old man with a bandolier of .45 Colt bullets strapped over his gray suit and a brown trench coat and cowboy boots with spurs.

"Don't mind them, Mantis." The mustached man chuckled, exposing the chamber of one of his Colt Single Action Army revolvers before loading them with single .45 Colt bullets. "Probably just want to get this operation over with, just like those guys at the other side." He then cocked the revolver's hammer after loading the said weapon. "Besides, I'm wondering what the brass in the Pentagon were thinking."

"I feel the same way about the operation, Ocelot." Mantis replied, his voice being a bit odd from wearing the gas mask, even though he had a voice emitter diaphragm in place. "Besides, I sense tension from within them." The masked psychic silently watched Ocelot load up his second SAA revolver before he cocked its hammer after staring at the armed personnel wearing American Woodland BDUs.

* * *

"I don't know if this was a good idea." A Caucasian man with a small mustache was speaking with a Spanish accent, fiddling around with his boonie hat.

"Something wrong, Santiago?" Santiago turned his head to his right and saw that an Asian-looking man with a small mustache similar to his was speaking to him, standing nearby.

"Don't worry about me, Kan." Santiago shook his head. "Probably fatigue ever since we left Yongsan a few hours ago..."

"Personally," Another Caucasian stood next to Kan. "I just can't wait to get into action. It's been a while since our little stint back in Washington, D.C. after we got rid of some tangos that held up the U.S. Capitol."

"I would agree with you there, Roger." Kan sighed, rubbing his left temple.

"I'm not quite sure about this." Seated on Santiago's left, a 30-year old man spoke to his colleagues with some doubt in his tone. "I mean, why do we have to do this joint mission with FOXHOUND? We could have done this ourselves under a RAINBOW operation or just them doing it instead of us."

"It's a political kind of thing, if you think about it very carefully. It's just typical of them Americans, Jamal..."

The men now had their attention focused to an African-looking man, who had crossed his arms on his chest with a Colt M4A1 carbine slinged on his left shoulder.

"What do you mean, Kevin?"

"It should be a bit obvious." stated Kevin, making his British tone obvious to the FOXHOUND members. "Since we're still under a Cold War with the Soviet Union and her allies, the Americans are doing the same to her allies."

"You mean to take in as many allies as possible?" Kan questioned Kevin, who nodded at him in reply.

"Should we worry about that in a matter like this?" A 28-year old woman sighed, apparently a sign that showed that she had been listening on the conversation that her male RAINBOW counterpart we're talking about.

"And your point is, Ayana?" Roger spoke to the lone woman in the RAINBOW team sent in for the North Korean operation.

"I know that you all feel that we're just a proxy for the West and the East." Ayana stated her opinion. "Just like those FOXHOUND guys that we're going to work with. And yet we still do the job since situations like the one happening in North Korea depends on our success to rescue them since we're going to be infiltrating in a country where it had been politically and economically isolated from almost half the world since 1953."

"Oui. She is right on this."

Two people in American Woodland BDUs were seen walking towards Santiago and the rest of the RAINBOW team members from the C-130E's cockpit.

"We have to get ready at once." said one of the two men who had left the cockpit in a French accent. "The loadmaster has informed us that we'll be nearing our target in a few minutes from now."

"Louis is right." Another Asian-looking man next to Louis began to speak to the rest of the RAINBOW operatives. "We're going to go first and do a HALO landing on the target area."

"Come on, Lee." Roger sighed. "Us?" He then pointed to the FOXHOUND members seated adjacent to them. "What about them?"

"They have a different target area." Lee replied. "But they'll be nearby. Only a few clicks in difference."

"We're nearing the target area!" The C-130E's loadmaster yelled after exiting the cockpit. "You've got 4 minutes to prepare yourselves after we cruise at 30,000 feet!"

"Right..." Roger sighed, making sure that his Colt M4A1 rifle was slinged on his person. "We better get our HALO gear ready."

* * *

Economy Class, Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400, Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

The situation inside the aircraft had turned from bad to worse.

Apparently, most of the students inside were now worried about their situation after Gauron had threatened Ms. Kagurazaka with a Sig Sauer P226 aimed at her face. Now that she had fainted, the school nurse Kozue Nishino had been busy ensuring the English teacher's health with the students and the flight attendants either panicking in their seats or simply wondering if they would be rescued from North Korean soil.

_Darnit! _One of the students who had seat with Sousuke's stared from the plane's cabin window, seeing that various North Korean soldiers, armored vehicles, tanks and Arm Slaves had their weapons aimed at the Boeing 747. _The situation's still the same thing from outside..._

When he peered around the area, he saw that most of the students were talking to one another. Some were even crying due to their situation with the flight attendants consoling or simply talking to the students to pass the time. A handful of them were at hand to help Ms. Nishino make sure Ms. Kagurazaka's health is all right. _I just can't stand here and see people like this! I have to do something. _He could only clench his fists together until he heard something vibrate from his pants pocket.

_My cellphone! _Having turned on his cellphone after landing in Sunan Air Base, the student was stunned to see that there was an SMS message sent to his phone. _That's right. I usually turn it on when we've landed at an airport. I'm not suppose to get a signal though. I'll have to thank Research for creating a World SIM Card. _Wanting to know what it was, he opened the SMS message on his phone's inbox and read its contents.

**To URUZ 13:**

**If you have this message, please proceed to the plane's cargo hold and contact TDD-1 immediately for sitrep contact with Perth-1 and Ansuz at once. **

_Guess this means it's time for me to get into action! _Fixing his glasses, the student stood up from his seat and without anyone noticing him, he began a short jog towards the rear of the airplane without anyone stopping him.

* * *

"Hey, Shiori!" A female student with long brown hair addressed her classmate and friend. "Did you see where Shinji went to?"

"No, Maya." Shiori huffed. "He's probably going to see those military vehicles from the rear. That darn otaku." said the blonde student while receiving a wet towel from Ms. Nishino to place on Ms. Kagurazaka's forehead while lying down on the triple economy class seats. "Why can't he be more useful just this once since we're in a crisis."

"She seems to be waking up." Ms. Nishino motioned a female and male student to her. "Shintaro, Junko. Head back and ask a flight attendant for some water please. Ms. Kagurazaka's about to wake up." With the two students nodding at her in reply, they went to the nearest flight attendant that they can find.

"Well," A brown-haired student with glasses kneeling next to Shiori spoke to Maya while tending to Ms. Kagurazaka. "That doesn't change the fact that we're political hostages in North Korean soil."

"You're right, Yusuke." Maya replied.

"If no one's gonna come and save us," Another student next to Yusuke with a ponytail began to comment on their condition. "We're going to be in much bigger trouble."

"I agree, Kaneda."

For once, Maya was silent as her friends were right. Their situation right now seems hopeless.

Unless someone would know of their situation and rescue them, they would be doomed to be held prisoner in North Korea for a long time.

* * *

Somewhere in the rear portion of the Boeing 747-400's economy class, a young 16-year old teen was seated in the rear almost alone with a few students from Jindai High's Class 2-4. He was not a student himself as he wore civilian clothes instead of their school uniform.

_This is just great! Why do I have to take my emergency accommodations on a plane full of students when I could have just asked the higher ups in Research and Dr. Painrose for a private plane. _Rubbing his temples, he collected his thoughts and remembered seeing black-suited men were being accompanied by a man who had untidy hair while wearing a dark blue suit.

_Say, isn't that Gauron? One of the terrorists wanted for the bombings back in the Philippine Stock Exchange in the 1990s. _The boy raised an eyebrow after seeing him threaten Ms. Kagurazaka a few minutes ago. _What's he doing here and why'd he take that blue-haired student away? If I'm right, he was...  
_

The teen suddenly placed his left hand to gently rub his left temple, feeling extreme pain on his head.

_Ack! What's this? I feel that she's calling for help. I can hear her resisting her captors. Guess that's the bad part for being a Whispered...  
_

With the right pants pocket vibrating, the teen reached out to grab his Nokia 8210 cellphone that he had turned on after landing in Sunan Air Base and opened the SMS message to read its contents.

_It's showtime!_

Silently standing up from his seat, the teen went to the rear of the plane without anyone seeing or stopping him as he proceeded to unlock a floor hatch secretly before entering the cargo hold from the cabin.

* * *

Cargo Hold, Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400, Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

Landing silently on the cargo hold's metallic floor before closing the floor hatch, the teen noted a light source near the middle of the cargo hold. He began to move closer and closer without alerting the other person of his presence.

"It's only a Jindai High student. What's he doing here?" whispered the teen. Seeing that the student was busy attending to his needs, he knelt on the floor and crept closer and closer without making a sound until he was inch near him.

"Don't move." Using his left thumb and index finger to poke at the student's back, he made the student raise his hands in the air. "What do you think you're doing here?"

"The same question I'd like to ask you."

Seeing that the student was about to execute a backfist attack, the teen used his right arm to block it before shoving him backward by pushing his stomach with his left hand. The student used his flashlight to shine its light on his face to distract him when he noted the teen's facial features.

"Ro-Ronald..." stuttered the student, who had been able to identify the intruder in the cargo hold besides him.

"It's you Shinji." The teen was shocked to see who the other intruder was . "I haven't seen you since I was transferred to the Mediterranean Sea Fleet a year ago back in 2000."

"Or better yet." Shinji responded, fixing his glasses. "It's been a while that we've been together since One Eyed Uncle took us in Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land."

"Let's save the memories for later." Ronald began to search the cargo hold for his luggage. "What were you searching for?"

"Just my luggage to see if I can use anything out of this situation." Shinji went back to rummage through the cargo hold to search for his luggage. "Need to see if I have a sat phone or something to contact the TDD-1."

"At least I got these..." Pulling out a red luggage from a section of the cargo hold, Ronald unlocked it and lifted a false panel for him to retrieve two black-colored sneaking suits. "Voila! The recent pride of Dr. Painrose himself."

"What are they?" Shinji stared at the suits.

"The brilliant scientist recently did a suit made from a newly discovered metal called Orihalcon with my input on it too when I helped him create it." Ronald replied. "Apparently, this can keep you alive from bullets, mêlée weapons, explosions and all the like. Problem is, Orihalcon-made weapons can penetrate the suit."

"Uhhh..." All that Shinji could do was stare in amazement about Ronald's words regarding the suit. _If I remember right, One Eyed Uncle found out that he was "quite intelligent" in Zanzibar Land in '98. Though I heard a rumor that he showed off his talent back before I met him._

"Don't worry about it." Ronald shook his right hand in front of him, assuring his comrade. "It's fine. MITHRIL's the only one to discover the metal. But the problem is that the mad doctor didn't have time to test it and asked me to bring it to Okinawa since I'm temporarily with Research 'till I can get the approval to move to the West Pacific Fleet from one of our Research building fronts in Naha. Besides, he wants to test its use as a combat and Arm Slave pilot suit."

"So this means we're the doc's guinea pigs?" Shinji asked.

"Yep."

"I was afraid of this scenario."

Moments later, the two teens wore the Orihalcon-made suits over their civilian clothes. So far, the two didn't have any problems on it once they wore it.

"How's it?" Ronald asked, having zipped the suit until it was near the collar.

"It's fine. No issues." Shinji said. "But why did you zip it to the collar area?"

"According to the doc's notes, doing that will allow the suit to activate its artificial muscles. Though it's meant for piloting Arm Slaves, it's said that it can be used for combat too. Wasn't tested anyway."

"Fine." Shinji huffed. "Listen, I've managed to get a satphone from my luggage. Don't why I lug it in there since I'm about to be transferred to West Pacific like you." He then showed an Iridium Motorola 9505a satphone to Ronald.

"Great work." Ronald smirked. "But before we leave the craft, aren't you going to take off your glasses and wear a balaclava."

"No problem." Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "I was getting bored with these show glasses anyway."

* * *

Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"All clear."

Shinji peeked out of the hatch of the front landing gear wheel to see a BTR-60 APC and a UAZ-469 jeep pass by the Boeing 747-400. Once he noted that the North Korean soldiers, vehicles and Arm Slaves were not aware of his presence, Shinji was the first to climb down the front landing gear wheel. Ronald followed suit when Shinji waved to him that it was safe to go down.

Shinji kept guard until Ronald climbed down the front landing gear wheel from the cargo hold. Together, the two went off to an empty hangar in order to make contact with TDD-1, waiting in the waters of the Yellow Sea.

* * *

Hangar, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

Opening the hangar gate's door built on it, Shinji and Ronald entered a hangar that housed several Soviet Rk-92 Savage Arm Slaves, its metallic arms placed down on the floor with their knees a bit bent that gave them the appearance of a frog waiting to jump to a lily, which it is in actuality since the Savage resembles a frog.

"Good thing the North Koreans have a sense to make a door on the hangar gate." Shinji whispered, closing the door silently after he and Ronald got in.

"Looks like we found out how Sagara got his troubles after sneaking out of the 747-400." Ronald panted, having to drag the unconscious body of a North Korean State Security Department agent tied up with wires from a broken satellite phone manpack with a gag tied around his mouth.

Shinji nodded. "Better close the door." He then whipped out his satphone from the suit's pants pocket. "I'll try and get in touch with TDD-1."

"Can the satphone readily establish contact with them?" Mark asked, stuffing the SSD agent's body into an empty barrel before he closed it. "Man, is he heavy." _Without the artificial muscles activated, I'd be sore tomorrow._

"Yeah. The phone's already fixed for ready contact." Shinji replied before dialing the satphone and speaking to its mouthpiece. **"Uruz 13 to TDD-1..."  
**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

**"Uruz 13 to TDD-1, can you hear me? Over." **Shinji's clear and crisp voice came through the communication officer's workstation.

**"This is Perth 1." **Kalinin replied to the transmission. Tessa was next to him, listening in. **"Are you alone?"**

**"No sir. Uruz 11 also happens to be with me."**

**"Acknowledged." **Kalinin turned to his side to see Tessa was already nearby. **"Please identify yourselves as Ansuz is also present. Over."**

**"This is Corporal Shinji Kazama with Staff Sergeant Ronald Chua reporting in, Ansuz." **Tessa smiled a bit, feeling her heart leap a bit when she heard the latter's name. _It is him. I haven't heard from him since he left the officer training corp. a year ago._

**"Thank you, Corporal Kazama." **Tessa said.

Kalinin then spoke to Shinji next. **"Corporal Kazama, Sergeant Sagara has informed me about the situation down there. Can you tell us more?"**

**"Yes sir. Well, it seems like more North Korean soldiers and armored vehicles were sent in to beef up base security from what I've seen so far."**

**"Regulars?"**

**"Not sure. But from initial assessment, it seems like North Korean special forces are being sent in. Nothing much to report, sir."**

**"I understand." **Kalinin sighed. **"Get Sergeant Chua on the line." **Moments later on the other line, Ronald's voice was heard from the comm station.

**"Staff Sergeant Chua reporting, sir."**

**"It's good to hear from you. Sergeant Chua." **Tessa greeted.

**"Ca-captain..." **Ronald was a bit shocked when he heard who it was on the other line.

**"Sergeant Chua." **Kalinin spoke to the sergeant. **"Aside from what Corporal Kazama and Sergeant Sagara have reported in, is there anything else you'd like to add?"**

**"With all respect, sir. It seems that I've spotted Gauron from the passengers of the hijacked plane."**

**"Sergeant Sagara has already told us about that."**

**"Will the SRT mount a rescue?"**

**"Yes. However due to orders received from Admiral Borda, we were ordered to activate you two on a short notice."**

**"I see." **Ronald sighed. **"Excellent strategy. I think we can help Uruz 7 by doing a few things with the base."**

Tessa questioned Ronald's intentions. **"You mean sabotage?"**

**"That's right. Corporal Kazama and I can make short work of the air base's armory, barracks, control tower and possibly the vehicle and Arm Slave hangars before the M9s can be sent in to cover the rescue."**

Kalinin pondered on the idea for a moment before he replied, **"Good idea, Sergeant. That way, our forces will be able to eliminate the hostiles and secure a safe zone for the hostages and our transport planes."**

**"Then do we have approval to begin sabotage in Sunan Air Base, sir?"**

**"Of course." **Kalinin nodded in reply. **"Begin Operation Entebbe at once!"**

**"Understood, sir!"**

**"Contact TDD-1 again when you have the situation under control. Over and out."  
**

The connection then ended. Kalinin and Tessa pondered on what would happen next.

"So Lieutenant Commander," Tessa asked Kalinin. "do you think they can help Sergeant Sagara?"

Kalinin nodded. "I'm sure of it. I've seen them in their training back at the Belize camp a year ago." He then faced his superior. "I have the utmost confidence in them. I'm sure they can do it."

Tessa nodded as well. "I surely hope so. I surely hope so."

Chapter 1 END

PS - Hope this chapter rocked! Also, I apologize for Psycho Mantis' gas mask. Can't seem to find the proper one. Thought the Israeli one is the closest. Anything wrong or want something to clarify, let me know ASAP so's I can fix the chapter.

To Rainbow 6 players and fans alike, you may spot a South Korean RAIBNOW operator aside from the Rainbow Six: Vegas game. You'll see someone who's name is Lee. His full name is Lee Won-Ho, a South Korean member of RAINBOW only found in Rainbow Six: Take-Down - Missions in Korea. He has high leadership and assault skills, he's a sort of Chavez-like figure in the Korea-only game and an ex-707 member. And I'm mixing up a bit of the R6 novel and game in terms of team structure and all that. So don't be surprised for the meantime if you see 8 RAINBOW operators assembled in a team since I'm using the novel team size (Well, I didn't put 10 of them. Too much for me to do...), but I'll use the game version too if I have the chance to.

Taku! Been a while since I wrote again. With university life going to keep me busy, I may be slower than the usual when I was back in community college. Just when I want to write a Gundam UC (0079 references with 0083 and Zeta to ZZ)/Gundam SEED/some crossover idea fic set in the GSEED universe, but with Gundam UC stuff with characters and groups from other series. Ergh! Better finish this one fast...

One more thing. I'll name the chapters after popular culture stuff and all. If anyone knows where I got the name for one chapter, let me know. I'm not sure what you get for a prize. Probably karma points for me. It's based from a particular Gundam UC series.

Read and don't forget to review. Let me know if you like it or if its fine. Even if you dropped by to read it, let me know in the reviews too. I don't mind.


	2. Enter the Performers

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua is only under me though. If I had control of the Full Metal Panic! series, then I would've decided to give Sousuke some MITHRIL reinforcements to save Kaname.

Summary:

With plans from various groups to rescue the Jindai High students (plus faculty/staff) held hostage by North Korean soldiers in Sunan Air Base, Ronald and Shinji proceed to make short work of the base's defenses prior to the arrival of MITHRIL reinforcements from the TDD-1. Will these groups be able to secure the hostages safely before all is lost? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 2: Enter the Performers

Outskirts of Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"All right. Coast is clear."

Viper had been the first to land on the western area of Sunan Air Base, in and among the members of the joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW operation to secure the Jindai High students and personnel from North Korean forces as a potential bargaining chip between North Korean and Japanese leaders. He then unstrapped his parachute and removed his oxygen bottle and helmet before kneeling down and gave the all clear signal with his left thumb and hand, giving the thumbs up.

"So far, so good." Mantis breathed from his No.4 Gas Mask after removing his parachute pack. "We haven't been spotted yet."

"Good." Wolf nodded, getting prone before taking aim at the western area of Sunan Air Base with her PSG-1 with Sophie on the role of observer, using an AN/PVS-14 Night Vision Monocular Sight.

"Wolf." advised Sophie. "Are you sure you won't use night vision?"

"Trust me." Wolf purred. "I'll be fine..."

"Now that most of us have landed safely..." began Ocelot, who unholstered his dual Colt SAA revolvers and twirled it around on his left and right index fingers like a Western cowboy. "We all should begin to impede potential reinforcements."

"I should be able to disguise myself as a North Korean soldier." commented Octopus, staring at Sunan Air Base's western area while dusting off dirt from his dress shoes. "I did take a crash course on Korean, so I should be fine."

"Let's hope you're right." Ocelot replied. "Last time we did an operation, your _ability _to speak Bahasa Indonesia nearly blew our cover."

"Relax, Ocelot. I should be able to pull this off."

"Whatever."

"Cool it, gents." Liquid appeared in the area, appointed by Owl and his human-like marionettes, his parachute pack and oxygen bottle removed. The entire FOXHOUND team could only stare at Owl with such revelry with his thinnish body, shades and his seemingly neat hair and semi-exposed chest covered by his coat; rumors had abounded that he had been a serial killer who had made his marionettes out of the bones of his victims..

"Liquid." greeted Viper.

"Ocelot, Viper. Come with me." Liquid gave the orders. "Our RAINBOW chums are going to blow up a bridge linking Sunan Air Base to the rest of North Korea."

"We're going to cover their plan to blow up the bridge then?" asked Owl, who looked a bit amused. Liquid nodded.

"I just don't know why Owl is giving me a creepy feeling." Ocelot whispered to Viper.

"Yeah, I know." Viper whispered back to Ocelot.

* * *

"Secure the perimeter!" Lee gave the order. At his words, Ayana, Santiago, Kevin and Jamal covered all approaches to their location in proximity to the concrete bridge with their Colt M4A1s pointed at the directions to and from Sunan Air Base as Liquid approached their position with Ocelot, Owl and Viper. Roger and Kan began to apply C4 charges below the bridge with Louis and Lee covering their work.

"Applying the charges now." Roger said, laying a block of C4 explosives with a detonator on it. "This should work though."

"I agree." commented Kan. "Remote-detonated charges should do the trick instead of timer-detonated ones."

"I believe you got the remote, Lee." Louis asked the mission team leader, covering the demolition experts with his Colt M4A1 aimed at the outskirts further away from Sunan Air Base.

"I do." Lee nodded. "I'll activate it after we're sure of the hostage's safety."

* * *

Somewhere in Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"All clear, Shinji."

"Right."

The two SRT operators began to move in, moments after plundering the base's armory for weapons and explosives. Ronald armed himself with the IZHMASH AKS-74 assault rifle while Shinji had been armed with the North Korean Type 88 assault rifle, a clone of the IZHMASH AK-74. Additionally, Shinji had been in charge of carrying Semtex explosives and had previously planted some of them on the armory and barracks. The two had also taken the liberty of using some North Korean-made special forces combat vests to store ammo clips for their rifles.

"So what's next?" Shinji asked, while the two were behind a BTR-60 APC parked near the control tower as several North Korean soldiers were busy conducting their patrol.

"We hit the control tower." Ronald replied. "However, our guns will alert our guests. So we have to distract them."

"Okay." Shinji nodded.

"Did you plant more Semtex out there?"

"Yeah. I planted some on some of the Arm Slave and MBT hangars. That should give us some time."

"Coast is clear." Ronald peeked out to see that there wasn't any guards to the tower. "Let's go."

* * *

Control Room, Control Tower, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"All activity is quiet so far, sir." reported one of the control tower personnel, studying the radar display to keep track of any foreign aircraft in its vicinity.

"Good work, Jeonsa." replied the officer, who had the rank of Sangwi.

"Sir!" said a soldier with the rank of Hakeub. "What's with those foreigners and their stuff here in our base?"

"To be honest with you," sighed the Sangwi. "I'm not so sure anymore. I wonder if the leadership is supporting them even though we're trying to amend with our brothers and sisters in the south."

Suddenly, the door to the control open had been opened forcefully, taking the personnel inside by surprise.

"What the?" The Sangwi tried to reach for his Type 68 pistol, but Shinji opened fire with his Type 88 set on automatic mode, which killed him. Ronald fired his AKS-74 from left to right, killing the rest of the control tower personnel.

"Won't be long before we get some more visitors around." sighed Ronald, fiddling around with his balaclava.

"I'll set up the rest of the charges." Shinji said as he began to plant the Semtex charges with a detonator/timer mounted on it. "Please alert the TDD-1 about our situation."

"Understood." Taking the satphone handed to him by Shinji, Ronald began to dial up the TDD-1's communication station. **"TDD-1. This is Uruz 11. Come in, please."  
**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

**"Uruz 11, this is Perth 1. I trust that you were able to disable some of the base's defense." **Kalinin was speaking to Ronald on the communication officer's station after hearing his dispatch.

**"Yes, Perth 1. We've managed to plant explosives on the base's barracks, armory, Arm Slave and MBT hangars. We're currently preparing to blow up the control tower."**

**"Understood, Uruz 11. Proceed immediately."**

**"Roger that, Perth 1."  
**

* * *

Control Room, Control Tower, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"I've got the explosives running. Let's move it." Shinji hissed, quickly leaving the control tower. Seeing that the timer was already running, Ronald began to make a mad dash leaving the control tower as soon as he heard some people shouting outside.

* * *

Somewhere in Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Where to next?" Ronald asked, who allowed Shinji to lead the way, covering his rear.

"I saw Sousuke make a mad dash towards this area," Shinji pointed out to the area where a faint image of a trailer can be seen, due to the bright lights from the posts that were illuminating nearby. "I think that's the area, I'm not sure."

"Well, we better check it." Ronald began to crouch and run at the same time towards a trailer placed in front of a Rk-92 Savage Arm Slave hangar.

"Say now, I think I saw Sousuke in there." Shinji whispered, leaning his back on a metal shipping crate. Ronald came around and peeked around the corner after kneeling next to Shinji, seeing Sousuke entering the trailer with a weapon in hand.

"What's he up to?" murmured Ronald, hearing some initial gunfire after Sousuke had stormed the trailer. All of a sudden, several loud explosions were heard throughout the entire base.

**"Perth 1!" **Shinji got on his satphone after the first explosion was heard. **"Commence Operation Entebbe at once!..."**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

"Captain!" Kalinin yelled for his superior's attention. "Uruz 11 and 13 have been able to weaken the base's defense."

"All right!" Tessa inhaled before she gave out the order.

"Have all our deployed SRT personnel launched into Sunan Air Base!"

"Understood!" Kalinin had then instructed the communications officer to announce the deployment of SRT forces into North Korean airspace.

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

"Move it, lardbucket!" Melissa yelled at Kurz, wearing her Arm Slave pilot suit and helmet. "We've been given the orders to have us deployed in our M9Es."

"Sorry about that." Kurz gave the black-haired woman a grin, also in Arm Slave pilot suit and helmet. "I can't help it if I wanted to go all-out dramatic and look really cool in rushing to my Arm Slave."

"Whatever." Melissa rolled her eyes at the German SRT operator. "You probably watch too much of your anime."

Kurz gave a sad face at Melissa. "Come on! Me and some of the guys were watching an all-nighter on the Gundam series." Kurz then got into some dramatic poses before he posed with his arms on his chest. "I can see it now. We're going to rush into the heart of battle, saving our helpless comrade in the heat of battle..."

Not wanting to hear anything further, Melissa decided to punch him near his groin to stop him from boring her with his talk on the Gundam series and how great he would be as a protagonist.

"Look, you can use that to help Sousuke blend into Japanese society," advised the Chinese-American woman, dragging Kurz by his pilot suit collar. "but right now, we've got to save him before he gets into much trouble."

* * *

Unknown Trailer, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Don't move!" yelled Shinji, bursting into the trailer with his Type 88 aimed at a female scientist, who had glasses, a black-haired ponytail and Caucasian features, held at gunpoint by Sousuke's Type 68 pistol. Ronald checked the unconscious State Security Department agents and noted that they were knocked out for a few minutes now.

"Good work, Sergeant Sagara." Ronald took aim with his AKS-74 at the scientist.

"Who are you?" Sousuke eyed the two masked SRT operatives with suspicion.

"We're your backup." Shinji answered, altering a bit of his voice to sound tough.

_Either he sounds like Shinji or I need to have my hearing checked up soon. _"And you two were responsible for the explosions that I heard?"

"Yeah." Ronald shrugged his shoulders. "We bombed the barracks, armory, control tower and several of the hangars." He then gestured to Shinji to look after the knocked out SSD agents. "Look, get her out of here at once. Reinforcements are on the way to secure the hostages."

"Right." Sousuke nodded, taking Kaname with her.

"H-hey!" Kaname shouted. "I can't go out like this."

"There's no time for that." insisted Sousuke.

"Sergeant." Ronald reminded him. "Give her your uniform coat."

"What?" Sousuke raised his left eyebrow.

"JUST DO IT!"

Without anything else to say, Sousuke took out his uniform coat and handed it to Kaname, since her school uniform was replaced with clothes that consisting of a dress and a skirt that didn't hug her legs that... let's just say that they could be a bit revealing.

"Cover their escape!" Ronald ordered, pointing outside. Shinji nodded and poked his head out briefly before firing his Type 88 at several North Korean soldiers. Sousuke and Kaname jumped out of the trailers and made a mad dash to get away from the gunfire.

"Now you're going to tell me, missy, on who hired you to do this experiment of yours?" Ronald interrogated the scientist, still aiming his AKS-74. Moments later, Shinji entered the trailer to reload an orange-colored magazine on his Type 88.

"Why do you think I'll spill my guts out?" sneered the woman, spitting saliva on his Orihalcon suit.

Ronald sighed, wiping the saliva off. "Shinji. Do it."

Obeying Ronald's commands, Shinji set the Type 88's selector to single shot and fired a single 5.45 Russian bullet into the scientist's left leg.

"AAGH!" yelled the scientist, grabbing her wounded leg. "All right! All right! I'll talk!"

"Smart move." Ronald placed his hand on top of the Type 88, lowering the rifle.

"That...that man said that I was hired to do the job from..."

"Yes. Do go on."

"From Amalgam." The scientist hissed again, feeling more pain on her left leg.

"Amalgam?" Shinji wondered, a bit confused.

"Save it." Moments later, more gunfire erupted from outside. "They could be here any second. Take the lead first, Shinji."

"Understood."

"Is that it lady?" Ronald asked the wounded scientist, Shinji eyeing the outskirts of the trailer for any hostiles.

"I won't talk beyond that." replied the scientist.

"Suit yourself, then." Ronald then removed the pin of a Type 86 fragmentation grenade and tossed it on the floor. After the deed was done, Ronald and Shinji toggled their rifles for full auto and shot at the knocked out SSD agents before escaping from the trailers. When they were outside, Ronald fired at the incoming North Korean soldiers to allow Shinji to build up a lead before Ronald caught up with him. To daze his enemies, Ronald tossed another Type 86 grenade at them in order to get away from them. Seeing that the grenade exploded, the masked SRT operator was successfully able to escape.

* * *

_**"Remember to dispose of any evidence that you may find there regarding the Whispered, Uruz 11. Uruz 7 shouldn't have been able to look around regarding the Whispered. I'm sorry if I had to add up more additional orders for you."**_

_**"Understood, Perth 1. I can take care of it."**_

_**"Good luck."**_

* * *

Despite the scientist's frantic struggle to stand up with a wounded leg and walk towards the live Type 86 grenade in order to dispose of it, the weapon exploded inside the trailer, which killed the female scientist and destroyed its lab equipment.

The North Korean soldiers outside only watched as the trailer exploded in flames.

* * *

Near bombed Barracks, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

Chaos had been paramount throughout Sunan Air Base. Hordes of North Korean regular and special forces soldiers were seen running around the entire base, trying to gain control of the entire situation. Unknown to the soldiers in base, the joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW operations unit had secretly infiltrated the base after they sniped their way at the chain link fence, creating a small hole for them to crawl into the air force base. So far, they were not discovered due to sounds of explosions and automatic gunfire that erupted around.

"Good thing I got retractable blades installed for this operation." grinned Viper, who had a retractable blade on his left arm, which he used to slice a hole on the chain link fence.

"Now that these explosions have gotten everyone's attention from inside," began Liquid, who was next to crawl inside the chain link fence. "we may not be able to use stealth here for we could be discovered."

"Best if we split up." advised Lee, who got in after Liquid did so. "We can meet up by the 747 parked in the runway out there. We need to reduce the base's fighting strength first."

"I agree." Ocelot nodded. "That way, we won't have trouble when we rescue the hostages."

"All right. Let's do it." Liquid gave the order to the joint team. The FOXHOUND and RAINBOW teams temporarily parted ways as they began to secure the rest of Sunan Air Base before they could get to the Jindai High students and staff held hostage in the facility.

* * *

Helipad, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Hey! Get over here Jungkeub!" yelled a Mil Mi-24D Hind pilot who is a Hasa in rank. Already wearing Soviet-made pilot head gear and flight suit, he had been waiting for the past 3 minutes for his co-pilot and Hind Weapon Systems Officer to get to the helipad, where Mil-Mi 24Ds were assigned to Sunan Air Base. Two of the five were not able to be used due to maintenance problems while the pilots for the 3rd chopper had been killed when the barracks had been bombed, which forced the base's commander to either get any surviving pilots to pilot the 3rd Mil-Mi 24D or get replacement pilots with a request to the Korean People's Air Force command, which is currently impossible due to the base's situation. A fifth one had been airborne and was patrolling the base's outer perimeter.

When the Hasa turned around, he saw that his Mil Mi-24D WSO standing near the helipad.

"Am I glad to see you? What took you so-"

Unfortunately, the Hasa noted that the Jungkeub, decked in his pilot clothing, didn't feel alive at all. In fact, the Hasa was a bit suspicious.

"Oy! You alright? Speak to me, Jungkeub. Say something!"

The Hasa's fears were confirmed when the Jungkeub was pushed down on the ground, his body falling all the way like a puppet had been cut off his strings.

"I'm sorry to say that your friend can't be with you for this operation." Sophie grinned, running her hand on her purple hair. "It seemed he had a broken neck when I found him..."

"Why you?" The Hasa and Mil Mi-24 pilot was about to reach for something in his pilot suit when he was shot in the back by Liquid, armed with an AKS-74 rifle.

"Got him." murmured the British-raised FOXHOUND team commander, who searched the dead pilot to reveal a Type 68 pistol. Seeing that it was loaded after checking its magazine, Liquid tucked it on his pants before signaling to Sophie to come with him and start the lone Mil Mi-24D chopper.

"You want to fly the thing?" asked Liquid, scanning the helipad while aiming the AKS-74.

"Of course." Sophie got into the Hind's pilot seat and began to run the top and rear rotors after she switched on the engines.

"Right." Liquid soon got into the WSO's seat. "They're should be some aerial reinforcements incoming from the nearby bases. We better get ready."

"Understood." Soon afterwards, the Hind was now airborne over the base and eliminated the patrolling Mil Mi-24D that was in view with a few Vympel R-73 AAMs.

"That seemed quick." commented Sophie. "Didn't expect that patrolling Hind to show its face."

"Yeah, I know." replied Liquid. "Let's go. We better swat down those bothersome flies..."

* * *

Bombed Arm Slave Hangars, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Let's go men!" Two teams of special forces soldier of the North Korean 8th Special Forces Brigade that had recently arrived in Sunan Air Base, began to move to secure the bombed Arm Slave hangars. Comprised of 8 men, led by an officer in the rank of Sowi, the unit had been running towards the bombed hangar after hearing an explosion that destroyed most of the Rk-92 Savages inside.

"All right! Secure the bombed hangars!" The soldiers began to fan out around the bombed hangars. They watched the perimeter carefully armed with AKS-74 and Tula AKS-74U rifles in hand. As the armed soldiers were securing the perimeter, three figures had appeared nearby. The group had consisted of Ocelot, Mantis, Viper and Owl, always accompanied by his two marionette puppets.

"Who the hell are you freaks?" yelled one of the officers at the new arrivals, startled at their presence.

"Freaks?" Mantis began, inhaling under his gas mask that covered his face. "Speak for yourself. Taking the lead around the base from a foreigner."

"Why you..." The officer snarled, taking aim with his AKS-74 rifle.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Ocelot smoothly drew out his Colt SAA revolvers and twirled them on his index fingers. "You'll be in big trouble, my friend."

"And why is that?" The second officer aimed his AKS-74U rifle at Mantis. "You three don't seem to be a threat to us."

"Sowi! Sowi!" One of the 8th Special Forces soldiers had called out to his superior. "We've got a problem!" When the two Sowis took a glance behind, they saw that one of their own soldiers had casually aimed his AKS-74 for one of the Sowi's head.

"What the hell?"

"Enter the performers!" Owl began to lead the attack on the armed 8th Special Forces soldiers. Together with his two marionettes, they hurled out various throwing knives at the enemy. 4 soldiers, including one of the Sowis, were killed when multiple knives were plunged into their chest, with a couple at the necks and one at the head. Viper, meanwhile, never spoke a word and simply extended his blades from the arms of the sneaking suit and ran towards the surprised special forces soldiers, hacking them to death.

"Attack! Attack!" The other Sowi was about to fire his AKS-74U, but the lone 8th Special Forces soldier fired a short burst at him, killing him. As the other soldiers were ready to fire at their own _comrade_, some of them convulsed and looked down on the ground before they instantly turned their own weapons against their comrades and fired their rifles at them, appearing to be brainwashed. 5 soldiers were killed by their own comrades before the lone soldier fired his own weapon at the brainwashed soldiers with Ocelot, who tagged along by firing his Colt SAA at them while firing one of his SAAs to ricochet from one of the bombed Arm Slave hangars, killing most of them.

* * *

Arm Slave Hangar, somewhere in Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Looks like they made it out here..." Shinji commented, noticing that some of the Rk-92s were destroyed by bullets fired from a Longinov BK-540 37mm assault rifle. On their way to the hangar, Shinji saw that MITHRIL SRT and PRT teams had been securing the air base while M9Es were busy making short work of the Rk-91/92 Savages, BTR-60PB APCs, BMP-1 IFVs, Type 55 and T-54 tanks that were deployed to halt their assault. Their efforts were thwarted when the deployed M9Es fired their Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B 40mm rifles at the arm slaves and vehicles, destroying them for good.

_Seems that the TDD-1 has begun Operation Entebbe..._

"Shinji! Look out!" Ronald had arrived, dashing towards his comrade in order to reach him when he spotted 5 regular North Korean soldiers, about to fire their Type 58A assault rifles at him when a shot rang out, killing one of them in the head.

"Get down. Get down." Ronald hissed, taking cover behind the wrecked body of a Rk-92. They peeked out to see another picked off by the unseen sniper, who had shot the second soldier in the neck.

"Now!" Shinji yelled, with him and Ronald exposing themselves to fire their rifles at the other two North Korean soldiers, only being able to kill them after firing several short bursts since the two soldiers were a little bit near the hangar.

"Wonder who shot them?" Ronald asked, who crouched on the ground and reloaded his AKS-74 while Shinji reloaded his Type 88. "Whoever that person is, he or she is good."

"Yeah." Shinji whispered, pulling the cocking handle to chamber a single 5.45 Russian bullet on the Type 88. Ronald simply slapped his AKS-74's handle hard by using his right palm, which did the same thing.

"We better get inside the hangar." Shinji advised. "I spotted a couple of Rk-92s that we can use. Besides, I think the wrecked Rk-92s outside are Sousuke's handiwork."

"Good idea." Ronald nodded. As the two began to enter the hangar, the Whispered SRT operative asked Shinji. "Did you seem to spot anyone out of the ordinary?"

"Yeah. It seems that FOXHOUND's deployed. I saw Liquid Snake out there." Shinji replied as he slinged his Type 88 on his right shoulder before he climbed on one of the Savages that were undamaged.

"So the Americans are deploying them to gain points with their allies." Ronald had slinged his AKS-74 on his left shoulder after he moved its folding stock to fold inward. "But I spotted some armed men that were wearing American military uniforms." He then climbed onto another Savage near the one Shinji climbed on.

"Who do you think they are?" Shinji began to open the hatch, using the Rk-92's manual latch. "You think it's them..."

Ronald nodded, who was still climbing the other Rk-92. _Either the US Army's deployed here or they began to that multinational CT unit, RAINBOW...  
_

* * *

Roof, Unknown Building, in front of Arm Slave Hangar, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"It's done..." whispered Wolf, who reloaded her PSG-1's 5-round magazine after seeing that Ronald and Shinji had made it inside the Arm Slave hangar. As he reached on her magazine pouch to reload a fresh magazine on her sniper rifle after removing the used one, the Iraqi FOXHOUND operative couldn't help, but feel relieved that the two teenage SRT operators were safe.

"At last..." Wolf slightly smiled, using her PSG-1's Hensoldt 6×42 scope. "I have found my cubs. And they're safe."

_Soon enough, I'll be together with them again.  
_

* * *

Bombed Arm Slave Hangars, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"All righty!" Ocelot grinned, who began to reload his Colt SAAs after he ejected the chambers to remove the exhausted bullet casings.

"It appears that I had the most fun in ages." Owl grinned, adjusting his glasses. His two marionettes, who he named Osan and Kohal, bowed towards Owl in a manner befitting traditional female Japanese after they had killed most of the 8th Special Forces soldiers.

"A fine work, if I could say so myself." said the lone surviving 8th Special Forces soldier, who took fresh orange magazine from the tactical vests of the other dead soldiers for his AKS-74. "Never expected you guys to show up."

"I'll give you credit, Octopus." Viper replied, who had his blades retracted back after he was done killing the soldiers. "You were able to fool those 8th Special Forces guys into thinking that you were one of them. I always want to know how you do that."

"Trade secret." Octopus shrugged his shoulders, who had his AKS-74 slinged on his neck.

"It seems that our friends are trying to get away." Mantis breathed out, sensing something out of the ordinary when he inspected the corpses near the bombed Arm Slave hangars. "Quite bothersome after brainwashing those soldiers to shoot each other, thought it was quite fun too."

"There they are." Owl pointed out, seeing two surviving 8th Special Forces troopers with minor wounds were trying to get away.

"Wasting my time here." Ocelot said, who simply placed a single .45 Long Colt bullet into his Colt SAA and fired a single shot. It ricocheted near the feet of the escaping troopers and went towards one of the soldier's head, killing him. Viper extended the left blade out from his suit and dashed towards the other soldier, cutting his neck when he dashed in front of him.

"I guess that's done with." Octopus told his FOXHOUND peers. "So what's next?"

* * *

Near bombed APC Hangar, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"So far, so good." noted Louis, who hid himself with his RAINBOW colleagues in the midst of the ruins of a bombed hangar where several BTR-60PA wheeled APCs were stored. "They haven't noticed us."

"All the thing we need to do now is to ask one of the base's nice fellows for information." quipped Jamal, earning a brief chuckle from his colleagues.

"Knock it off." warned Roger. "But you have a point, Jamal. But how are we going to do it?"

"Looks like our answer's here." Kevin pointed out 3 North Korean special forces soldiers that have entered the hangar, all armed with AKS-74 rifles. Since they were not spotted, Lee signaled to his other RAINBOW teammates to take them down. Lee instructed Kan, Santiago and Ayana to take down the 3 soldiers, except to leave one alive. The three selected RAINBOW operators silently slinged their Colt M4A1 rifles on their backs and drew out their Eichorn Solingen Mark 3 combat knives. Kan and Ayana took down 2 of the 3 soldiers while Santiago caught a third and whacked the handle of his Mark 3 on the soldier, briefly stunning him.

"Get him here. Hurry." whispered Kevin. Santiago dragged the soldier off with Lee and Jamal to interrogate the captured soldier.

"Where are you from, soldier?" Lee asked in his native Korean. The captured soldier did not but to stare at him.

"I won't tell you, you imperialist traitor." snarled the soldier. Jamal simply punched the soldier on his left cheek.

"Answer the question." Jamal warned, clenching his knuckles.

_Some of his clothing and gear indicates that he's from a Sniper Brigade unit. _Lee simply took out his Mark 3 knife and grabbed the soldier's right hand tightly in order to force him to expose his palm. With the Mark 3's blade pointed on it, Lee had asked his captive another question.

"Tell us where the hostages are..." The South Korean RAINBOW team leader began to pierce the palm a bit with the tip of the Mark 3's blade, with red blood staining a bit of it.

"Or I'll assure that you'll really get hurt."

Chapter 2 END

PS - Seems like no one answered the reference of the 1st chapter title. Oh well, it came from Zeta Gundam.

Another one's for this chapter title. Try and figure out where it's from. (HINT: Latest GONZO anime about a blonde woman with a sword). Also, I'm not sure if I should do my Gundam SEED AU consisting of UC/CE/Probable AC/other character fic since I've recently watched Gundam 0083. The ending is so despicable that I've hated Bask Om with all my gut and plan to give him a nice, cruel death later on. I'll try and think about it. I usually do two fics at a time though, but with Gundam 00 entering the picture now, I'm not so sure...

As for the North Korean ranks, I'll explain.

In the Korean People's Air Force, Jeonsa is equal to Airman. Hakeub to Airman 1st Class, Jungkeub is equal to Senior Airman, Hasa is equal to Techincal Sergeant and Sangwi to Captain. In the Korean People's Army, Sowi is equal to 2nd Lieutenant. Simple, ne?

As always, read and review. Hope the actions and blending of the Metal Gear and RAINBOW series was good. I'm a fan of them and decided to add them to my AU story of FMP. Lately, I'm doing a Gundam SEED sidestory of Solid Sharks' story Cry of a Falcon called Owaru Day by Day. Any FMP reader will know where this is from. Please check that story out and review aside from this. Thanks and have a good day ahead of you to all my readers, wherever you're from.


	3. The Lead and the Follow

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke wouldn't need to be wounded by Gauron's Codarl and make him cooler when facing against Gauron in a Savage.

Summary:

The joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW teams are now making purges to secure Sunan Air Base to rescue the hostages with MITHRIL deploying their own forces to rescue them. Ronald and Shinji were last seen trying to operate Savage Arm Slaves to reinforce Sousuke after he rescued Kaname. Can the two SRT operatives get to help Sousuke in time? Will the FOXHOUND-RAINBOW teams be able to secure the hostages in time? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 3: The Lead and the Follow

Forest near Sunan Air Base, North Korea

**"Hey."** Shinji called out to Ronald from the cockpit of his Rk-92 Savage as the two stolen Savages were running a path away from Sunan Air Base. **"You think we can make it to help Sousuke in time?"**

**"Beats me."** Ronald shrugged. **"I'm not sure. Unless this heap of a thing you call an Arm Slave can move faster."**

**"I hope we can get to him in time."**

* * *

Airspace above Sunan Air Base, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"So far, so good." Liquid, who was still in the cockpit of the hijacked Mil Mi-24D. "We've been able to achieve lone air superiority around here." Sophie and Liquid had been able to obliterate several MiG-19, MigG-21PF and F-7 jets with a few MiG-23ML jets still on the runways after the surprise bombing attacks had panicked most of the Korean People's Air Force (KPAF) pilots prior to scrambling thanks to Liquid who had fired the Mil Mi-24D's Yakushev-Borzov 12.7mm gatling gun mounted on the GUV-8700 gunpod and some S-24 ASM missiles on the pre-taxied jets.

"Unless if those jets are interfering with us securing the airspace above the base..." reminded Sophie. Liquid went to look in front of him to see some MiG-29s that were nearing Sunan Air Base.

"MiG-29s." Liquid saw what the incoming jets were. "Probably from the KPAF's 55th Air Regiment."

"Should we get them?"

"Of course." The Mil Mi-24D was able to close in on one of the incoming MiG-29s, not aware of it being hijacked by non-KPAF personnel due to its IFF signature being identified as a friendly unit. "I'd like to start swatting down more flies..."

With the Mil Mi-24D's Molniya R-60 missiles locked onto the lead MiG-29, Liquid threw a grin as he fired one of the R-60 missiles. The blonde FOXHOUND commander grinned in satisfaction as the R-60's warhead made first contact with the MiG-29's right wing, forcing the Russian-made jet to crash down towards Sunan Air Base. The three remaining jets were already scattering to prevent another attack by the R-60 missiles, apparently taken by surprise.

"Starting with that jet that I shot down." Liquid remarked, already preparing to fire the dual Shipunov GShG-7.62 machine guns on the second MiG-29, which were also mounted on the GUV-8700 gunpod.

* * *

Stream, Forest near Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Up ahead, Ronald. Look!" Shinji yelled, seeing Sousuke's badly damaged Rk-92 Savage with its chest a bit ripped apart by unknown weapons. Kaname was nearby, but Sousuke was still fine with the chest restraint on him.

"Let's do it!" Together, Ronald and Shinji turned and faced the Arm Slave that attacked Sousuke's hijacked Rk-92 Savage. The two formed a horizontal line to cover Sousuke while he escaped from the wrecked Savage.

"Erraa!" Shinji was the first to fire the Savage's BK-540 assault rifle at the unknown Arm Slave, which had a humanoid shape and a ponytail. The humanoid Arm Slave, however, was able to dodge the barrage even when Ronald reinforced Shinji by firing his own BK-549 rifle.

In response to the attacks against it, the humanoid Arm Slave simply leaped and dashed left and right to avoid getting hit by the 37mm bullets until it made another flip and landed in front of Ronald's stolen Savage.

"Tangina!" Ronald was surprised to see the Arm Slave in front of him, who had now been armed with an IMI Dark Edge monomolecular cutter. "A surprise att-!"

It was too late, the Dark Edge stabbed the neck portion of Ronald's Arm Slave before the humanoid Arm Slave slashed its left arm off. Despite frantic efforts to use the BK-549, the Savage's right hand was greatly crushed by the humanoid's right hand. It later shoved Ronald to the ground, lying on its back, with the Mauser MGK 35mm rifle firing several 35mm bullets on both the Savage's legs, disabling it.

"Scumbag!" Shinji tried to fire his BK-540 with the humanoid Arm Slave's back facing him. The Arm Slave, with its Dark Edge not in use, had its MGK rifle pointed at him. Taking its right hand to grip the underbarrel grenade launcher, it fired a single HE grenade onto the Savage's right leg, forcing Shinji's Savage to collapse head first towards the stream bank

* * *

Near Aircraft Hangars, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Never realized that this place was really an airport." commented Lee, who led the RAINBOW team en route to securing the Boeing 747-400.

"I agree." Ayana eyed her surroundings, her fingers ready to fire her M4A1 rifle. "This place appears to be North Korean air force base aside from being an international airport."

"Probably part of efforts to retake Seoul in any future war in the Peninsula." suggested Santiago.

"Wait for us!" Ocelot was seen running towards the RAINBOW team with the rest of the FOXHOUND unit. So far, they were no enemies seen as the two groups met up.

"You guys met any enemies?" asked Roger, gripping his M4A1 out of uneasiness of the situation. Though chaos still ran around with MITHRIL M9E Arm Slaves destroying every North Korean vehicles, anti-tank and anti-aircraft gun and post, there was still good reason to be alert.

"No." Mantis shook his head. "On the way to secure the hostages?"

"Yes." Kan nodded.

"Follow us." replied Octopus, still in his 8th Special Forces Brigade disguise. "We were able to find out where the plane is."

* * *

Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"So that's the hijacked plane..." whispered Jamal, checking his surroundings with the barrel of his M4A1 as the FOXHOUND and RAINBOW teams began a sweep of the area that the Boeing 747-400 was in to make sure no North Korean soldier, vehicle or Arm Slave was nearby to hinder their rescue operation.

"Okay." Lee gestured with his left index finger moving in a circular motion above his head. At his signal, both FOXHOUND and RAINBOW team members began to secure the boarding stairs leading to the plane's main entrance. Owl had positioned himself and his marionettes to the West with Viper nearby. Octopus and Ocelot were on the first few steps of the boarding stairs, apparently planning to use it as a firing platform. Mantis was a bit near them on the stairs, providing psychic recon to any soldier that tries to move in on them with Wolf providing sniper support. Only Liquid and Sophie were not around since they were still busy gunning down intruding KPAF aircraft that tried to contain the situation in the base. The rest of the RAINBOW members also were scattered to assist the FOXHOUND members in securing the boarding stairs.

"Wait..." Viper leaned a bit to his left, already crouching, to check his hearing. "I seem to hear footsteps." The footsteps that were made only by military or military-grade boots. "And these footsteps seems to be made by soldiers."

"They don't seem to be North Koreans..." breathed Mantis, his voice audible under his respirator as he used his psychic sense.

Several groups of heavily armed soldiers came rushing towards the hijacked Boeing 747-400 with submachine guns.

"Hold it!" Louis said, aiming his M4A1 at one of the arriving soldiers. _If they aren't North Korean soldiers, then who the heck are they? Wait! They look like peacekeepers._

The mixed FOXHOUND-RAINBOW task force was a bit confused to see that the soldiers had the typical appearance of United Nations peacekeepers armed with Fabrique Nationale P90 submachine guns. They were decked in blue UN berets and patches with tactical vests worn on their bodies with P90 magazines and were wearing olive green military uniforms and black military boots.

"Who the hell are you guys?" said one of the peacekeepers, aiming his P90 at Octopus, still in his 8th Special Forces disguise.

"I'd ask you the same thing." Owl eyed the peacekeepers carefully.

"Cool it." advised Lee. "They're UN peacekeepers." _When was the last time that I took place in a UN peacekeeping operation with a UN beret on..._

"We're with High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND." Ocelot said to defuse the tense situation.

"We're with the US military conducting a hostage rescue operation with FOXHOUND." said Roger, indicating their false affiliation.

_Something tells me that he's not with the US military._ The leading UN peacekeeper heard Louis and Ocelot spoke about themselves. "We're UN peacekeepers en route to East Timor when we were deployed here."

"I see." mumbled Mantis. _I can see it in your mind. You're not UN peacekeepers, so who are you with anyway? Hmm.. MITHRIL eh? Interesting._

"So what now?" Viper asked. "Do we work with these guys or what?"

* * *

Stream, Forest near Sunan Air Base, North Korea

**"Who the hell are you punks?"** said the pilot of the humanoid Arm Slave, pointing his MGK rifle at the downed Savages that tried to attack him. **"And I was having a nice conversation with Kashim here."**

"Gauron!" Ronald had emerged out of his wrecked Savage, armed with his AKS-74 rifle. "So it is you..."

**"You seem a bit familiar now..."** Gauron hummed to himself until Ronald saw Shinji emerge out of his Savage too.

"Think you can get away with this?" Shinji hissed, armed with his Type 88.

_Is that Shinji?_ Kaname swore that one of the masked SRT operators sounded familiar. _Nah, can't be. Even though that otaku is into military stuff, I don't think I can imagine him here right now._ She shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts.

"I'd love to stay here and talk with you guys all night," Gauron aimed the MGK rifle at Sousuke, Shinji and Ronald. "but I've got business to take care- What the?"

Gauron had his Arm Slave leap back when several 40mm bullets had impacted near its feet.

"The heck?" Ronald saw an M9E landing with parachutes strapped on its back armed with a GEC-B rifle.

**"Uruz 6 here. Angel here is secured with Uruz 9 and the others."**

Ronald smirked at the M9E that had arrived.

_Well, well. Kurz Weber. How long has it been since we last met in Zanzibar Land?_

* * *

Economy Class, Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400, Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Looks like everyone's secured." Louis commented, watching the UN peacekeepers escort the troubled Jindai High students, staff members and airline personnel with FOXHOUND members led by Ocelot guarding the boarding stairs to prevent North Korean soldiers from hindering the rescue attempt. Lee had the entire RAINBOW team assist the peacekeepers in securing the interior of the 747-400.

"Have a look here." Kevin called Lee attention's team, who went with the British RAINBOW operative to see the cockpit.

* * *

Cockpit, Japan Airlines Boeing 747-400, Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Pilot's dead." Ayana had stated her observation of the plane's cockpit with the pilot still slumped on his seat. "Single bullet to the head."

"That was..." Lee raised his left eyebrow. "quite an observation."

"So what about his corpse?" Jamal asked, standing next to Ayana. "Do we leave it here?"

"Unless those peacekeeper guys have a body bag." Lee answered before he peeked outside to see the last of the peacekeepers assisting Ms. Kagurazaka out of the plane. "You know, I have this strange feeling that they aren't UN peacekeepers."

"For one thing." Jamal commented. "Their C-5 planes say that they're from the UN Air Force."

"Which in reality," Ayana added. "doesn't exist since the UN doesn't have its own army."

"You think that they're from..." Lee asked his RAINBOW colleagues. When the South Korean team leader saw them nodding their heads, he didn't bother to ask more questions on the peacekeepers themselves.

"Better have this used." Taking a remote device from his vest, he extended its antenna and pressed its switch. Within minutes, a deafening sound was heard from outside Sunan Air Base.

"Come on." Lee led the other RAINBOW operatives out of the cockpit. "We have to assist in evacuation of civilians and get out of here..."

* * *

Forests, somewhere in North Korea

"Come on you two." Shinji called on Sousuke and Kaname, running in the forest. "We can make it out of here." _At least Kurz can cover our escape..._ Moments later, Shinji heard an explosion coming near the base. "The bridge must've been taken out."

Ronald had taken the lead with Shinji helping Sousuke and Kaname escape from the outskirts of Sunan Air Base. Sousuke had taken a Type 68B assault rifle snatched from a North Korean soldier, slinged on his right shoulder.

"How much farther now?" Kaname asked, feeling a bit tired from running.

"We can rest here." Ronald pointed to a tree with a lot of branches around. "The bushes around should give us some cover."

"Okay." Kaname sat down, leaning her back on the tree's trunk base. "I'm so tired."

"But we can't stay here for long." Sousuke warned, unslinging his Type 68B. "It won't be long before those North Korean soldiers finally catch up with us."

A booming sound was heard throughout the entire forest, startling the young female student.

"What was that?" Kaname whispered. "Sounded like an explosion."

"Probably one of the Arm Slaves that blew up." Ronald suggested. "We better move out. North Korean special forces could use that to get to us."

Shinji saw from above a Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche that had activated its ECS system.

_I wonder if they got him..._

* * *

In another area of the forests near Sunan Air Base, Gauron stood outside his overheated Arm Slave, which assumed a seated position.

"Useless thing." Gauron muttered. "Thing stops working after using it once." Hearing static emitted from a North Korean-made radio extender, he took it from his pocket and pressed its call button.

**"Go ahead."**

**"Sir. I've got some news from one of the North Korean soldiers near the demolished bridge."**

**"So spill."**

**"He caught a glimpse of two masked men armed with AK-style weapons escorting a young man and woman. He wasn't that sure, but he told me that he swore seeing the two masked men."**

Gauron grinned. _Finally, my chance to get at Kashim and those two boys..._

**"All right. Just get someone to assist with the Codarl. It stopped working all of a sudden."**

**"Understood."** Ending his conversation, the scarred terrorist and mercenary stared at his Arm Slave while seeing a chopper that had used its ECS at the last minute.

"Kalinin must be here too." whispered Gauron.

* * *

"It's raining." Sousuke saw that raindrops were falling all over the ground.

"Okay." Ronald motioned to him another large tree ahead with several branches overhead. "We can rest there." Ronald and Shinji kept watch while Kaname sat down with Sousuke, their backs leaning on the tree bark.

"Who are you two?" Kaname asked the two masked SRT operatives. Sousuke merely watched the bushes with his Type 68B at his hands.

"Us?" Ronald pointed to himself. "We're with him." He then pointed to Sousuke.

"You mean MITHRIL?" Kaname was surprised at the two new people who had come to save their lives aside from Sousuke.

_That's correct. _Kaname gasped, hearing Ronald's voice in her mind._ Don't worry, I'm like you. I'm here to help as much as I can._

"All right." Sousuke said, standing up. "We better move."

"Right." Shinji stood up, followed by Ronald. The trio walked a few meters away, but saw Kaname standing still near the tree bark.

"Kaname?" Sousuke saw that Kaname only stood up. "We have to..."

"Don't come near me!" yelled Kaname, staring at the ground with raindrops falling from her hair.

"Damn..." Ronald sighed, slapping his head. "Just what we need. A time of self-denial..."

"Kaname." Shinji began. "We can't leave you here. You'll be killed by the North Korean soldiers out there."

"We understand how you feel, Kaname." Sousuke reached out a hand to her. "We look like dangerous people, but we're trying to help here."

Kaname only stared at Sousuke some more without anything else to say.

"Come on. You can trust us. We'll make sure you get home alive."

Feeling confident, Kaname was about to grab Sousuke's hand when suddenly, Ronald crouched near Sousuke and motioned to him to take cover.

"Someone's there." Ronald got Shinji to follow him, with Sousuke keeping Kaname down. Following the moments of nearby bushes, the two SRT operatives took aim at it with their rifles. Moments later, a blonde man emerged out with a Browning BDA 9 pistol in his right hand.

"Oh. Just you." Ronald lifted his AKS-74, showing that he was not a hostile.

"What do you mean just you?" Kurz didn't like the way Ronald spoke to him regarding his status as a friendly, but didn't have time to comprehend as he suddenly fainted from exhaustion.

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"So that's what happened eh?" Shinji said, helping Kurz sit down on the grass with the bark of a nearby tree being used to help him sit straight. His Type 88 was slinged on his back.

"I didn't exactly knew how that thing smashed my AS up." winced Kurz, feeling pain on his stomach area. "It felt like he used an invisible weapon or whatnot." Meanwhile, Sousuke was seated nearby with Kaname standing behind. Ronald was prone on the ground, using a pair of Kazan Optical Mechanical Plant 8x30 binoculars and scouted the fields up ahead.

"Anything?" Sousuke asked the masked Ronald, who had his AKS-74 slinged on his back.

"An old communal farm's down there." Ronald told Sousuke, still peering through the 8x30 binoculars he took from the Sunan base's armory. "Hold it." Ronald saw that a flying object was flying nearby. It had a thin oblong shape with a camera at its bottom front with its wings on top with a rotor built at the rear.

"Pchela..." whispered Ronald.

"What?" Kaname didn't get what Ronald has said.

"It's a Russian-made unmanned aerial vehicle." explained Sousuke. "Since it's out there, we shouldn't be easily spotted since we're on top of the hill." Seeing that the Yakovlev Pchela went away from the communal farm's airspace, Kaname had decided to ask Sousuke.

"Sousuke?"

"Yes, Kaname?"

"Umm..." Kaname shuffled her bare feet on the soil. "What are we going to do from here?" Ronald stood up and spoke to Shinji, who was guarding the tired Kurz.

"You mean right now?" When Kaname nodded, Sousuke looked at the abandoned communal farm and replied, "I'm not sure. Right now, I feel like the only logical choice is for you to escape alone."

"Alone?" Kaname was a bit alarmed. "What do you mean alone?"

"I've taught about this for a while." The Asian-looking mercenary explained. "You see, the three of us won't be able to escape together." He turned his head around to see the masked Ronald and Shinji checking their rifles. "Except maybe them. But the main priority for you is to get to the beach. Kurz and I will stay her to distract the enemy."

"You don't mean..." Kaname saw Sousuke showing off a Russian-made radio extender that he took from one of the unconscious State Security Department agents back in the trailer with the Whispered equipment.

"Take it." Sousuke said, looking down at the ground. "The range of this radio extender may be limited. But my allies should be able to help you get off North Korean soil while we keep the enemy off you."

Even though Kaname took the radio extender, she didn't know what to do next. _Sousuke's probably leaving me to fend for myself while he and Kurz... and probably those masked guys will stay here to defend me_. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly. _This, this doesn't sound right at all!_

"I'm not going!" Kaname shouted. Kurz was a bit alarmed.

"Steady, mate." Ronald gripped the AKS-74 pistol grip. "This doesn't look good."

"I just don't like it when you stop and tell me that you'll die while I escape or whatever it is that you're saying around those lines! While you're saying that you're ready to die, did you even think to consider how I'd feel about this, Sousuke?"

"..." Sousuke was at a loss to say something.

"You don't get it, do you?" Kaname slapped her right cheek before she faced Sousuke, still gripping his Type 68B. "What I'm saying is that we should stick together instead of thinking for yourself. As they say, two heads are better than one you know."

"I'm sorry, Kaname." Sousuke was beginning to feel a bit tempered. "But that's the only way that I taught off."

"Try to think about it." Kaname insisted, staring at the barren farm fields. "Like we can start a wild fire there to cause a confusion."

"Just sh-t up and get out of here!" Sousuke, finally angry, raised the Type 68B at Kaname's forehead.

"Hold it Sergeant!" Ronald took aim of his unslinged AKS-74 at Sousuke's right temple with Shinji taking aim of his unslinged Type 88 at his rear.

_Dammit, Sousuke! Why do you have to make things so complicated?_

"If you try to shoot her," Ronald's gloved right index finger slowly eased on the trigger. "then I have the authority to shoot you to prevent Ms. Chidori's death."

Sousuke began to sweat bullets; the situation appears to be in Kaname's favor since she greatly opposed Sousuke's ideas._ So what now?_

* * *

Runway, Sunan Air Base, North Korea

"Come on! Hurry!" Ayana, Kan and Louis fired their M4A1s from the interior of the USAF C-130E Hercules transport plane at incoming North Korean soldiers, armed with Type 88 rifles after Liquid and Sophie tried to make their escape towards the plane that arrived in Sunan to assist in the evacuation of the Jindai Hgih hostages. Its propellers had already been turned on after the last of the student hostages were assisted inside by FOXHOUND and RAINBOW forces.

"What happened?" Viper asked, helping Sophie get onboard the plane followed by Liquid.

"The Hind I borrowed from our North Korean friends have run out of fuel. I crashed it when I tried to land it."

"They're in! Let's go!" Louis yelled, having gunned down one of the North Korean soldiers that charged towards the C-130E. Ayana and Kan had their own kills, but the latter tossed one of his last M67 fragmentation grenades, killing a score of North Korean soldiers with Ayana tossing in a M15 white phosphorus grenade. It exploded in the vicinity of 4 North Korean soldiers, its flames began to burn through their clothing as it slowly killed them.

"AAAHHH!" Ayana gripped her M4A1, going back towards the C-130E's cargo section as the ramp began to close with the C-130E taxiing towards the main runway, hearing the screams of the soldiers before they succumbed to the flames from the white phosphorus.

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130E Hercules, somewhere over North Korean airspace

"Looks like everyone's safe." Lee motioned to the other RAINBOW operators to take their seats as the C-130E began to takeoff from Sunan's runway towards the direction of South Korea 10 minutes after leaving the base.

"So what then?" Roger asked, already seated next to Lee.

"We wait." Lee moved his left sleeve of his American Woodland BDU. "We should get contact with F-16C fighters from the USAF's 51st Fighter Wing with KF-16Cs from the ROKAF's 1st Fighter Wing in a few minutes."

"So we get escorts eh?" Owl overheard the conversation. "This should be interesting."

"I wonder when was the last time we got a fighter escort like this" Ocelot played with his mustache. "Probably back in the Outer Heaven days eh?"

Wolf grinned. "That sounds more like it."

Lee glanced around to see the hostages were a bit nervous, but relieved to be rescued. "Hey." Lee whispered to Roger. "Heard rumors that some of the new FOXHOUND operatives used to be mercenaries?"

"Think so." Roger replied. "How come?"

"Because I have a feeling that those FOXHOUND guys have experience from Outer Heaven. You know, the ones that had a nuclear-armed bipedal mecha or something."

"We have contact!" The C-130E's loadmaster came out of the cockpit. "We've received radio contact from fighter of the 51st Fighter Wing and the ROKAF's 1st Fighter Wing. The plane's about 30 kilometers to the DMZ."

"Everyone!" Kevin began to address the now ex-hostages after being gestured to do so by Louis. "We should be entering South Korean airspace in a few more minutes." Loud cheering came from some of the students. "But please," Kevin instructed. "try to relax and wait until we land at a United States Forces base."

"Say..." Kaneda whispered to Maya. "I wonder if Shinji and Kaname made it out all right."

Maya sighed, "I hope they did, Kaneda. To tell the truth, I'm worried about them."

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"You don't get it, do you Sousuke." Kurz chuckled, already awake after hearing the commotion between Ronald, Shinji and Sousuke. "Not only does our little lady dislike your plan, but our mysterious gung-ho comrades of ours disapprove of it too." _Whatever unit they're from, that is._ "So that means it's 4-1, including me on the four side." The German SRT operator grinned.

"Better accept it, Sergeant." advised Ronald, still aiming his AKS-74 at his skull. "The lady has a point. And so what if we get some enemies around? It's worth the risk rather than sending her to an early grave."

Sousuke sighed; he knew that four of them had overruled his dangerous and risky proposal that he told Kaname a few minutes ago, "Oh, I give up." _Fine. He has a point._

"So what now?" Shinji had lowered his Type 88, seeing that the situation's already over.

"It goes like this..." Kaname began to explain. "Like I said a while ago..."

* * *

Barn, Abandoned Communal Farms, somewhere in North Korea

"Found it." Sousuke carried a jerry can full of gasoline inside. Ronald was outside the barn, keeping watch for any signs of North Korean activity towards the area.

"Better hop to it." Ronald unfurled his left sleeve on his Orihalcon suit to reveal a wristwatch. "It's 0326 hours. 2 minutes.."

"Cover me." Sousuke, emptying the jerry can's contents, began his work to cover a part of the farm fields with gasoline. Within minutes, he had dumped the empty can and brought out a zippo lighter when Ronad interrupted him.

"Use this." Ronald tossed Sousuke a pack of matches from his vest pocket. "Snatched it from a North Korean soldier during his cigarette break."

"All right." Taking a match, he had the match head scratch the sandpaper on its side, lighting it up. "Here goes." He then tossed it on the ground where he had poured gasoline on.

In minutes, a small fire had been created from a single lit match and gasoline combined together.

"Let's go." Sousuke trudged out of the farm fields, Ronald followed Sousuke's lead while covering his back. Behind their backs, a brief light shined on the field where the fire had started as the two SRT operators went back to the hill to meet up with Kaname and the others.

* * *

Space, outside Earth

A spy satellite, high above the Earth's exosphere, was in orbit above North Korea where it began to conduct reconnaissance of the Stalinist state when it observed a particular area west of North Korea.

It had observed a farm field fire that had formed the following words.

_A67FA_

_Alive_

* * *

Abandoned Communal Farms, somewhere in North Korea

After reports of smoke had been spotted from a distance, several Mil Mi-24D choppers of the KPAF began to converge near the abandoned farms. Upon landing, the choppers began to deposit several groups of heavily armed North Korean commandos armed and at the ready.

"All of the teams from the 17th Sniper Brigade and the 38th Airborne Brigade are already on the ground sir." said the first Mil Mi-24D's WSO.

"Right. Let's get out of here." yelled the pilot. He then got the Mil Mi-24D to takeoff, leaving the said area with the others following behind.

"Listen up!" A Sniper Brigade officer with the rank of Sangwi addressed the soldiers from the 17th Sniper and Airborne Brigades, contributing two teams of 8 men each. "Intelligence states that the hostages have escaped around the area." The Sangwi pointed to the now extinguished flames behind him.

The Sniper Brigade officer began to issue his orders. "Secure the area first, then hunt down the hostages afterwards."

"Sangwi!" addressed one of the 17th Sniper Brigade soldiers. "Then what do we do?"

"Then what?" The Sangwi. "We kill them. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." The soldier shook his head up and down.

"I'd expect nothing from all of you, except to accomplish this mission. Is that clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!" shouted the 17th Sniper Brigade and 38th Airborne Brigade soldiers in unison.

Chapter 3 END

PS - Hope the chapter is fine as usual. Oh, I got the chapter name from Pumpkin Scissors. Go figure. Hope you guys liked Liquid manning the Mil Mi-24D's WSO position. It's a MGS homage, I tell ya.

I'm prepared to toss some canon parts of FMP's 1st season away. You may spot some in this chapter.

Subsequent updates may be a bit slow since term papers/essays/homeworks are coming up in the next few weeks, which will force me to concentrate on them at least probably 'till half of November. Until then, be patient. Read and review the latest chapter and let me know what you think.


	4. Heat

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Tessa would've rescued Sousuke in a better way and he would've fought the Khankan Arm Slaves without getting Kaname to faint after tossing her from the Arbalest's hand. That scene was a doozy, though I'd wished Sousuke didn't do it anyway in the first place.

Summary:

Sousuke and the others have managed to escape from Gauron barely with their lives. Now away from help with the possibility of being cornered by North Korean forces, can the MITHRIL operatives live long enough to get Kaname back to Japanese soil? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 4: Heat

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"Damn! We've got company!" Kurz had yelled, who had drawn out his Browning BDA 9 pistol at the ready.

Moments after birds flew overhead where Sousuke and the others had been hiding, several North Korean Airborne and Sniper Brigade soldiers opened fire on their location with AK-74 and Type 88 assault rifles.

"North Korean Airborne and Sniper Brigades." Shinji had told his MITHRIL comrades, prone on the grass while firing his Type 88 rifle. "Must have followed the smoke here."

"In that case," Kurz fired his BDA 9, after being prone, gunning down two of the approaching Sniper Brigade soldiers. "We'll be in big trouble when our ammo runs out."

"Noticed that." Crouching near Kurz, Ronald tossed in a Type 86 grenade at several Airborne Brigade commandos. "Incoming!" The grenade exploded, killing some of them with others severely wounded by the grenade's shrapnel.

"I just hope help arrives." Sousuke aimed the Type 68B rifle, conducting suppressive fire to cover Shinji and Ronald, who were reloading their respective rifles.

"Take this!" Ronald tossed Kurz a Type 86 grenade. "I got three grenades left. We better make good use of it."

"Don't mind if I do." Kurz removed the grenade's safety pin and watched as he hurled the live weapon towards a group of approaching Sniper Brigade soldiers.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

"Captain!" Kalinin had handed Tessa a printout from the communication officer's workstation before standing next to her left with hands behind him. "Our spy satellites had managed to obtain this image."

_It says A67FA alive. Thank goodness they're still alive_. Tessa read the flaming words that Sousuke had done back on the abandoned communal farm. "Now that we've got confirmation on their condition, are they already set to go?"

"You mean the two machines in the hangar?" Kalinin asked. Tessa nodded at the Soviet MITHRIL officer.

"Yes. It's imperative that we launch the two Arm Slaves at once."

"Understood." Kalinin proceeded to leave the bridge to the hangar. "I'll give out the orders to the maintenance crew, captain."

"Please, do."

"It seems that like the ARX-7 Arbalest and the M9D Falke will have to do in order to rectify the situation into our advantage."

"Yes." Tessa nodded. "I agree with you there."

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"Not much longer now." Ronald fired several short bursts from his AKS-74 at some Airborne Brigade soldiers with Sousuke backing him up with his Type 68B. "I've only got 2-3 clips left."

"Me too." added Shinji, crawling to move next to Ronald's position, using the hill's slope as cover while he fired his Type 88 at the incoming North Korean commandos, forcing them not to come up the hill.

"I guess we won't be able to make it out together, Kaname." Sousuke had told the Japanese high school student in the midst of reloading his Type 68B. "Two magazines to go."

"I think we'll do the ending scene like that Butch Cassidy movie." Kurz grunted a bit, ejecting the spent magazine from his BDA 9 and reloaded a fresh 14-round magazine.

"We'll make it a cool scene." But she ducked further down on a nearby trench to hide from 5.45 x 39 mm M74 bullets flying overhead.

"I guess we'll only see each other in the next life." Kurz grunted and fired several 9mm shots on a Sniper Brigade soldier running towards their position.

"I understand." Kaname felt like crying, hugging her legs near her face while lying down on the grass as Sousuke and the others were busy fighting off the hordes of Airborne and Sniper Brigade commandos, the elite of the elite in the North Korean army. She understood that her saviors won't be able to hold them off much longer since their numbers were weak against the North Korean special forces soldiers with the fact that they can be resupplied or reinforced at any time. "I understand, Sousuke."

The 2-4 class president felt that her life was about to end. "I don't ever regret meeting you." She had a faint smile on her face. "I didn't regret it, Sousuke Sagara."

"What the heck?" Shinji stared at the night sky, moments after he fired full automatic on his Type 88 on an Airborne Brigade sniper perched a nearby tree. "Are those..." The sniper fell off the tree branch after getting shot in the chest with a full burst of 5.45 Soviet bullets.

"Missiles?" Sousuke watched the sky as well while he fired full automatic on his Type 68B on the surviving Airborne and Sniper Brigade soldiers. Ronald too eyed the missiles that were airborne as they began to fall apart, piece by piece, to reveal two Arm Slaves that were hidden inside.

"Arm Slaves inside the missiles?" Shinji whispered, his back on the ground while tossing another Type 86 grenade behind him.

_Has to be done by SLBMs..._ Ronald had lost his grip on his AKS-74 rifle aside after three lucky stray 5.45 Soviet bullets with one hitting near the ejection port with two bullets hitting the forearm. The masked MITHRIL SRT operative felt the sting due to the Orihalcon material on his sneaking suit, which deflected the bullet that struck near his gloved hands by allowing the bullet's kinetic force to spread over its surroundings after it struck an area of the sneaking suit. It then makes the bullet useless as the spent force makes the bullet head useless.

"Tangina!" Ronald felt a bit of a sting, ducking down on the trench. "AKS-74's useless now..."

"Are those M9s?" Kurz asked Ronald, poking his left hand out from the trench to fire his BDA 9.

"No they're not." Sousuke dashed out of the trench, who had loaded his Type 68B a few minutes ago before he fired the North Korean-made rifle at the opposing force.

"Sousuke!" Kurz shouted. "What are you doing?"

"Cover me!" Ronald patted Shinji's left shoulder before giving him the last two Type 86 grenades and grabbing his discarded AKS-74. "And be sure to use the remaining grenades well, got it?"

"Understood." Shinji nodded, who removed the Type 86's safety pin and tossed it near some Sniper Brigade soldiers, watching Ronald use the broken AKS-74 as a bat when he struck a Sniper Brigade soldier on the face with the rifle's stock before he struck another with a back swing before Ronald swinged it forward to hit his face. "Take this." Shinji tossed the last Type 86 to Kurz. "Sure hope you can use it."

"Don't mind if I do." The German SRT operator took the grenade from Shinji. "I've played a bit of baseball during my elementary days."

* * *

Outskirt of abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"All right. Ikuzo!" Ronald snatched a Type 98-F rifle from the fingers of a dead Sniper Brigade soldier and slinged it on his back before dashing towards the kneeling black-colored Arm Slave with pointy ears, a bald metallic head, a mouth region that was different from the M9s that MITHRIL had been issued with and a large monomolecular cutter strapped on its waist. With Sousuke, Type 68B slinged on his back, climbing onto a kneeling white-colored Arm Slave with an anti-tank dagger attached on its head, Ronald fired some bursts from the newly acquired Type 98-F before he began a mad dash to climb up the black-colored Arm Slave.

"Damn..." gritted Ronald, seeing some 5.45 Soviet bullets whiz past over his head fired by the surviving Airborne and Sniper Brigade soldiers. "Better climb up inside her and fast."

Moments later, the masked SRT operative was now successful in entering the black Arm Slave.

* * *

Cockpit, Unknown Arm Slave

"Let's do this!" Ronald unslinged his Type 98-F and placed it on his lap before he moved his arms on the cockpit's ring-shaped and operated its control sticks.

**"Voiceprint identification in process. Name and ID number rank please."** The Arm Slave's AI had its monotone voice speak up after Ronald had depressed the left stick's trigger.

**"Staff Sergeant Ronald Takeda Chua. B-3130!"**

**"Identification complete. Confirmed as Staff Sergeant Chua." **The Arm Slave AI said, having been able to correctly identify Ronald's voice. **"Awaiting instructions."**

**"The usual, Anna."** Ronald replied, having removed his balaclava since he was inside the Arm Slave. **"And fire the .50 cal CIWS while you're at it. We've got Airborne and Sniper Brigade soldiers surrounding us."**

**"Understood, Sergeant."**

**"Remember to call me Ronald. No need to be formal." **He could only hear the AM-11 CIWS chain guns mounted on his Arm Slave mow down the remaining commandos down to shreds, only hearing Korean words as they were being shot to death by 12.7 x 99 mm NATO rounds. The overhead hatch was closed while Ronald was booting the AS's OS to check for messages.

**"Of course. I have an incoming message for you."**

**"Let's hear it." **On his command, the voice of a very familiar person was hear on the Arm Slave's interior speakers.

**"It's good to hear from you, Ronald." **Ronald had clearly identified the voice of Tessa in the Arm Slave's recorder. **"Sergeant Sagara is currently using the Arbalest, as you may recall from your previous stint with Research."**

"Who wouldn't?" murmured Ronald._ Bani and I worked on the Arbalest before I got transferred to do an M9D Falke that can hold a Lamba Driver in Germany._

**"I've ordered a communications blackout as the TDD-1 is approaching the west side of North Korea. We'll try to launch a rescue attempt by 0430 hours as I speak." **

"Why couldn't she authorize the rescue attempt right now?" sighed Ronald, listening to the taped message.

**"Please ensure the safety of the Arbalest at all costs. As you may remember, it's the only prototype that you two have worked on prior to your M9D Falke unit that I've heard you worked on with a Lamba Driver."**

"Yes, ma'am." said Ronald mockingly, pretending to salute as if Tessa was in front of him. However, he then heard the following message which shock him greatly.

**"But after you and Uruz 13 make it to TDD-1, you and I are going to have a short talk. I think you know what that is. Ansuz out." **

"Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse." Ronald slapped his left temple after the recording ended. "Tessa's probably gonna have a rant at me about that time back in officer candidate training."

**"I have make a connection to the Arbalest, Ronald. Sergeant Sagara is now on the line."**

**"Thanks, Anna. I'll take care of the rest." **Thanking the AI, Ronald proceeded to communicate with Sousuke. **"Sergeant Sagara, can you hear me?"**

**"Loud and clear. I've just received confirmation that 5 enemy AS units are approaching the area."**

**"Savages?"**

**"Yes." **

Smirking, Ronald manipulated his controls to take out his monomolecular cutter out from his Arm Slave's cutter sheath. **"Crimson Edge Monomolecular Cutter deployed."** Anna's monotone AI voice had reminded the Whispered SRT operator that the Crimson Edge was ready for action. _Most likely from the 425th Mechanized Corps._

**"What say you and me give those North Korean Savages a little hell?" **

* * *

Forests, somewhere in North Korea

**"Two enemy AS units sighted!" **One of the leading Savages was in a V-style formation, armed with a BK-540 rifle, had eyed his fire-control system as he fired the Arm Slave-sized rifle on two incoming shadows in short, controlled bursts. "Damn! I missed!"

"Sh-t!" The leading Savage didn't have time to react when the Arbalest leapt over his unit and stabbed its head section with its Geotron Electronics GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter before it collapsed and exploded.

**"They took out Chung-san's unit!" **yelled the Savage team commander. **"Don't just stand there! Acquire the targets and fire!"**

**"They're too fast! FCS can't lock onto them in time! GWWAAAHHH!!" **Another Savage was destroyed, courtesy of Ronald's M9D that appeared near him when it deactivated its ECS system and used its Crimson Edge cutter to perform a left diagonal slash that sliced the Soviet-made Arm Slave into two. Ronald leaped again away from the Savage, moments before its two pieces were blown up in an explosion, using the black smoke as a means to cover its ECS activation.

**"All units! Keep watch!" **The commander yelled again at the remaining Savage units. **"What the hell is happening out there?"**

A loud scream was soon heard over the commander's radio. **"Chungwi! Help me!" **Seconds later, a pumping and booming sound made similar to a pump-action shotgun was heard on his radio in unison with an explosion followed by another. The commander began to panic, breathing heavily and sweating a lot, while eyeing the instruments on his Savage cockpit with his Arm Slave pilot helmet and night vision goggles.

_I'm cornered now and alone against two enemy AS units! And where are they coming from? _The lone Savage unit began to scan the area, merely armed with a Grusin AT-16 Spawn Anti-tank/AS missile stick in hand.

"Show yourselves!" The Savage team commander snarled at the darkness surrounding him. Four of his subordinates had just been wiped out by two unknown Arm Slaves that moved at very fast speed with weapons not known to be seen with second generation Arm Slaves.

Gripping the AT-16 Spawn tightly, the last Savage didn't expect to see the Arbalest and the Falke dash towards the last Arm Slave all of a sudden, taking him by surprise.

**"Ready, Sousuke?" **Ronald had his Crimson Edge at the ready.

**"Anytime here."** Sousuke had his Oto Melara Boxer 57 mm smoothbore shotgun.

**"Let's do it!"** Ronald then led the surprise attack by making several jumps towards the Savage until it stood near its right side.

"Why you!" The Savage tried to use the AT-16 Spawn as a mêlée weapon, but the Falke moved a bit back and swinged its Crimson Edge, with the cutter's saw-like blade doing the job before it completely sliced the Arm Slave's right arm. Sousuke followed up Ronald's initial attack by aiming the Boxer's barrel right at the Savage's chest, firing a single 57 mm shell that wrecked the entire unit.

"Anyoooo!!" The lone Savage pilot screamed as his unit was destroyed from Sousuke's Boxer shotgun. Within minutes, the Savage strike force from the KPA's 425th Mechanized Corp. was no more.

It was all silent around them; only the AT-16 Spawn was still on the ground near the Falke. Ronald manipulated his Arm Slave to pick up the anti-armor weapon, sensing a possible need for it.

**"Guess this means we're done here. I don't see any-" **commented Sousuke, scanning the area with help from AL when it warned Sousuke of another incoming AS.

**"Warning! Lone AS incoming from south. Distance 090!" **

* * *

Lobby, Special Operations Command Korea HQ, Camp Kim, Yongsan Garrison, Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea

"So I take it that this operation of ours is a total successs?" Lee asked, seated in a couch with Liquid as various personnel in American military uniform were going about with their business.

"Think so." The British FOXHOUND CO replied. "But something's not right."

"Hm?" The South Korean RAINBOW team leader was taken aback by Liquid's statement.

"I've gotten word from SOCK that they've picked up some signs of renewed AS fighting in North Korea." Liquid began, scratching his blonde hair.

"You sure?" Lee raised a questioning left eyebrow.

"Analyst seems to think so, based on satellite data."

Lee then snapped his left index and thumb fingers. "Reminds me though, you did spot some people dressed as UN peacekeepers, right?"

Liquid nodded, "That I did, which I found to be strange. The only UN peacekeepers in Asia that I know of are those currently in East Timor. Haven't heard of anyone in the peninsula since the end of the Korean War." He then asked his RAINBOW counterpart one particularly interesting question.

"Does the name MITHRIL mean anything to you?"

* * *

Forests, somewhere in North Korea

"Let's see if this thing works." Ronald took the AT-16 from the ground and fired it at the incoming Codarl. The Codarl had seemingly reacted to it by moving swiftly to its right, with the AT-16's warhead passing through the Arm Slave's long hair.

"Take this!" Sousuke simply fired some more 57 mm rounds at the Codarl after the AT-16 warhead had missed.

**"Sousuke! Look out!" **

The Codarl began to fight back by firing 50 mm grenades from the Mauser MGK 35 mm rifle against the two Arm Slaves. Sousuke had been able to fight back by firing his Boxer shotgun. Ronald could do nothing except to dodge the Codarl's grenades by running left, right and jump back.

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"What the hell?" Shinji had gripped his Type 88, watching the scene unfold before his eyes. "Those guys are incredible."

"Yeah." Kurz had been armed with a Type 98 assault rifle, handed to him by Shinji after taking it from the dead fingers of a Sniper Brigade soldier. "They seem to be fighting so even."

"You're right about that."

"Not only that," Kurz gritted his teeth. "but that silver AS has some gimmick up its sleeve when it bounced that shot I fired from my smoothbore gun. Just like the greatest magicians do. Like Houdini for instance. It's gotta be magic."

"You're wrong."

The sudden voice from Kaname only made the two SRT operator's heads turn towards her direction. She was staring at the battle with her hands clasped together and her eyes staring at the three Arm Slaves facing off against each other.

_She reminds me of that horror movie that I saw in cable last week. _Shinji cringed at the thought when he first saw her. _Guess I wouldn't look at her in the same way again._

"The silver AS is using some sort of new technology. He has it, but so do the other two ASes fighting it. It's part of their integrated defenses." Kaname's monotone-like voice in explaining to the two SRT operators only got them more baffled.

"What's with her?" Kurz asked, feeling sweat rolling down his left temple.

"I don't know." Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "But whatever that is, I'm getting the creeps."

"He'll lose, but I'm not so sure on the other one."

Kurz and Shinji saw that Sousuke fired another 57 mm shot from his Boxer shotgun. "Sousuke will lose if he keeps up like that." Sousuke then had the Arbalest toss a broken tree trunk at the Codarl. However, the Codarl reacted by aiming the MGK's underbarrel grenade launcher at it and fired another 50mm grenade. The impact of the grenade and the tree trunk in the resulting explosion damaged a part of the Arbalest's head and some minor damage to the Codarl's right arm, forcing it to drop its weapon.

_Dammit._ Sousuke had gritted his teeth, seeing what had happened.

**"Sousuke!"** Ronald had shouted, believing that Sousuke was taken out before the smoke cleared to see that the Arbalest is still intact. _Tessa's gonna rip my head off if she finds out the ARX-7's busted. _

**"I'm alright!" **Sousuke took out his earlier frustration at the Codarl by firing his Boxer at it. But as the shot reached near the Codarl, a bluish circle enveloped the entire Arm Slave with its right hand slightly reaching out to it. Its right hand then slightly pushed it, sending the fired 57 mm recoiling back to Sousuke's Arbalest. Ronald ran up to Sousuke in time for the Falke's Lambda Driver to activate before Sousuke's, sending the two Arm Slaves hurtling back some distance away from the Codarl.

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

"Ano 'ba yan?" Ronald had grunted, feeling the impact of his Falke unit's Lambda Driver activate.

**"Lambda Driver reinitializing in 50 seconds." **Anna had informed Ronald of the Falke's Lamda Driver.

**"Can't it go faster?"** Ronald grunted, getting his unit up.

**"I'm afraid not."**

**"Damn!"** As Ronald tried to get his Falke upright, he could stare at the left monitor screen to see Sousuke's Arbalest seated upright as well. "Just what I need, a seemingly uncooperative AI as a desperate situation like this."

**"I have heard that remark. You are implying to hurt my feelings."**

**"Shut it, Anna!"** Ronald sighed and exhaled. _Just what I also need, a seemingly AI feeling human._

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

**"Lamba Driver initialization complete."  
**

**"What's the Lamba Driver, AL?" **Sousuke raised an order to the Arbalest's AI.

**"Negative." **AL replied to Sousuke's commands. **"Unable to comply."  
**

**"I'm ordering you, AL! What's the Lamba Driver?" **The scarred SRT operator was feeling a bit irritated by AL's reply.

**"Negative. Unable to comply." **

_Damned AI wouldn't answer me! What's with it, of all times like this? _Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

"Whoa..." Shinji was at awe to see the Arbalest had its fins deployed at the rear for the Lamba Driver operation, but without seeing the Falke on whether it had fins to deploy.

"What's with that?" Kurz felt a bit irritated. "My M9 got wasted by that attack!"

"I seem to understand." Kaname continued on with her monotone-like voice. Shinji and Kurz saw that she was holding her head with her two hands while gritting her teeth.

"Hey, Kaname." Shinji was a bit alarmed. "Are you..."

"Are you okay?" Kurz asked on Shinji's behalf. "You don't seem fine to us."

"I'm not feeling too good." Kaname began to sweat, still holding her head. In her vision, she can see still various numbers, letter and scientific symbols in front of her. "The black AS can use it, but Sousuke doesn't know how to. He only used it an a protective impulse."

"Slow down, Kaname!" Shinji began to talk to his real-life classmate. "You're not yourself."

"Yeah." Kurz voiced his agreement. "Pull yourself together."

"A clue?" Kaname had blankly stared at the Arbalest, her eyes giving no signs of emotion. "I'll give him the clue."

"What clue?" Shinji was now getting confused by her friend under a sort of trance.

"I've always been saved." Kaname had stated to the point. "This time, I'll be doing the saving for him."

"Uh..." Shinji scratched his chin, still under his balaclava.

"Don't ask me." Kurz also scratched his chin. "I'm as confused as you are."

"Artificial Contrast Interference..." The sky-blue haired student began to recite something, but only screamed in pain instead. "AAAHH!"

"Kaname!" Shinji and Kurz shouted in unison.

"I'm not going..." Kaname was now preparing to hit her head towards the nearest tree trunk. "to do it!"

"Yamero!" Shinji had been able to grab Kaname from behind, getting her in an armlock by restraining her after he grabbed her neck and waist.

"Wha..." Kaname had seen Shinji restraining her.

"What are you trying to do?" Shinji shouted at her. "Doing that won't get you nowhere!"

"I see." Kaname sighed. With Shinji releasing his grip, Kaname reached out her left hand to Kurz. "Lend me your radio. I need to speak to the black AS."

"Wha?" Kurz was not getting more and more confused. _First, she talks some gibberish with confidential stuff. Now she tries to bump her head into a tree trunk with that masked guy saving her. Man, this isn't my day. _Shinji nodded at him, which convinced Kurz to hand his radio extender to Kaname, wondering what she'll do.

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

**"Ronald, I'm receiving an incoming message from an external source."**

Ronald was alarmed. Usually, he'd received some radio communications in an Arm Slave from either friendly/hostile Arm Slaves or from nearby military units with some sort of high-tech or sophisticated comm trailer or radio. But he was a bit surprised to see when Anna revealed to him the source of the radio message.

"From a nearby radio extender. Unless that person got her hands on a MITHRIL-issued radio extender." Ronald whispered. **"All right Anna! Bring her up! I'll speak with the person."**

**"Hello? Can you hear me?"**

**"Kaname Chidori!"** Ronald was a bit furious on who the radio message was coming from. **"What's the meaning of this? Civilians are not suppose to use MITHRIL-issued equipment!"**

**"Please!"** Kaname had implored to Ronald.** "You've got to help me reach Sousuke! I can help him!"**

**"Help with what?"**

**"He's having problems with using his AS's Lambda Driver." **Ronald was a bit ticked off again. _Having a civilian have knowledge of Black Technology stuff is not allowed! How did she. Yeah, her Whispered powers have awakened. I've sensed it in her. Better put up a front for now. Can't reveal myself after I resonated my voice on her mind. _

**"Now look here!"** Ronald was now pretending to be way too furious for what Kaname had said a while ago. **"Using MITHRIL equipment may be one thing, but uttering anything related to Black Technology will get you into trouble, Ms. Chidori!"**

**"I don't have time to explain! I just need to get to Sousuke and speak with him. I can help him!"**

**"And what help is this?"**

**"On how he can utilize his AS's Lambda Driver to defeat the silver-colored AS." **

Ronald sighed before he whispered, "She's right. Now that her Whispered powers are awakened, it's too late to reverse the situation. The Admiral had better start working with Intelligence to put a lid on this before her old man in the United Nations back in New York flips his head over this incident."

**"All right."** replied the Chinese-Filipino Whispered SRT operator. **"I'll immediately get patched up into Sousuke's unit. I'll see what I can do."**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Yellow Sea

"How are we doing for time?" Tessa had asked Kalinin, still standing beside her left.

"We've got 15 minutes to the deadline." Kalinin answered. "At any rate, Sgt. Maj. Mao has been ordered to standby with her M9 unit."

"I see." Tessa nodded. _I just hope that the rest of the gamble for rescuing Mr. Sagara and the others will work._

"We should be near the North Korean coastline to the west anytime soon, Captain." Kalinin had said, trying to give the American Whispered officer some hope.

"Do you think Sgt. Sagara can make it?"

Kalinin had closed his eyes before he exhaled and opened them. Facing his captain, the Soviet officer replied, "I've known him for some time since we last met in Afghanistan." The ponytailed man stared at the monitor screen in front of him, detailing the condition of the TDD-1 submarine. "He's one fighter out there. I don't think the enemy can take him out so easily."

Tessa reclined back in her commander's chair. "It seems like you think he can make it out there."

"You just need to have faith in your subordinates, captain. I believe he can do it."

Tessa nodded again, "I do too. I... I just don't want anyone to die out there right now." Unknown to Kalinin, Tessa had bit her lower lip while handling her braid.

_Please get back here as soon as you can, Ronald. Because... I'm overjoyed to see you back after you left. If you could only feel my heart jumping after I last heard from you. _

Chapter 4 END

PS - I hope this update rocked. As usual, review after reading and let me know if it's done well or not. I'm not sure if I did a better job with Kaname going into her Whispered trance. Hopefully, I did so. Also, got chapter title from the movie by Michael Mann. Honestly, I was trying to get this done after my essays were done, but I somehow found the time to do it between essay typing breaks, so yeah. Not the best thing you'd usually do, but I'll stop here for now after I upload, whenever that is. I should be able to resume fairly soon, so this is a sort of thanks to those who are reading. Don't forget to review after you read about how the chapter is. Keeps me going. Right now, my Middle East history essay is almost done before I submit it to a prof for drafting and proofreading suggestions and doing the draft for my essay on Political Thought. Not exactly the best subject to take for Pol. Sci., unless you plan to major it and I plan to do so in the next few years.

As for North Korean ranks again, Chungwi in the KPA means First Lieutenant. That was quite simple.

Anyo in Korean means No. Again, simple as that, eh? Well if anyone versed in Korean thinks it's wrong or needs to check on something. Let me know. Besides, I may need some help on some Korean for the next chapter.

Well, guess I'll have to move on and do the next chapter really soon after the essays are done. I have something planned up for the next chapter. Promise that it'll really be cool, hopefully much better than the anime.


	5. Tenshi

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Kurz wouldn't be so blind as to keep shooting Gauron's Codarl as soon as he realized that his shots were not hitting it. In addition to that, Sousuke and Kaname would've went back to the UN C-5 transport crafts with Kurz covering their backs before he gets his M9 blown up to pieces.

Summary:

As Sousuke and Kurz were helping Kaname escape with Shinji and Ronald covering their rear, North Korean special forces had began the assault against them as a last minute desperation to capture them. Gauron's Codarl had also made an appearance, taking on Ronald's M9DL Falke and Sousuke's newly acquired ARX-7 Arbalest Arm Slaves with Lambda Drivers built inside them. Can the two SRT operators fully utilize their Arm Slaves and take out the Codarl and escape from North Korean soil? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 5: Tenshi

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

**"Sousuke! Can you hear me?"**

Shinji and Kurz were watching Kaname speak to Sousuke on the MITHRIL-issued radio extender that the German SRT operator had lent to the 2-4 class president. She had so far been able to access Sousuke's Arbalest via radio.

"You think this'll work?" Shinji asked, watching the area with his Type 88 rifle.

"Hey." Kurz replied, hefting his Type 98 rifle in his hands. "If it's going to work, then it's better than nothing at all."

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

"Is that Kaname?" Sousuke whispered, startled after AL had picked up Kaname's radio message via Ronald's Falke. "What's she trying to do?"

**"Sousuke! It's me Kaname." **Kaname's voice was heard on the Arbalest's cockpit speakers. **"Listen! There's something special about your machine."**

**"What about it? W-What are you talking about?" **Sousuke was a bit stunned by what Kaname was talking about.

Kaname began to explain to the scarred SRT operative since he had asked her. **"It...it has a special device. It's...um...called a L-Lamba Driver." **Kaname shook her head a bit.** "Yeah, t-that's right!"**

**"A Lambda Driver?"**

**"Sousuke! The device in your machine simply worked by generating the images from your mind into real, physical energy. It simply projects your aggressive thoughts as weapons."**

**"My mental images can be used as weapons?" **Sousuke whispered in the cockpit. _That can't be right! What Ms. Chidori's saying can't be true at all..._** "Wait a minute! That can't be possible at all! It hasn't been proven to be useful as a potential weapon."**

**"I don't have much time to explain to you about how it works!" **Kaname had shouted in reply. **"But I can tell you this. You only wanted to protect yourself, right? So that's what the device worked, Sousuke."**

**"That can't be right..."**Sousuke's thoughts were cut short when the Falke was in front of him as the Codarl's Lamba Driver energy began to move towards him. Luckily, the Falke's Lamba Driver also activated and enveloped both their units, blocking the energy attack.

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

**"Very good!"** Gauron began to draw out his IMI Dark Edge Monomolecular Cutter. **"Can you two do it again?"**

**"Put your spirit into it for a second." **Ronald heard the transmission Kaname had sent to Sousuke's Arbalest. Ronald began to clash with Gauron with both of their monomolecular cutter blades clashing with one another with the former leading by trying to strike the latter with the Crimson Edge.

**"Well, well..." **Gauron had began to taunt **"Taking Kashim's place, eh?" **Ronald felt that Gauron was trying to exert more effort in using his Dark Edge. **"Well that's fine with me!"**

Seconds later, Ronald felt the impact of the Codarl's Lamba Driver overwhelm him and Sousuke, who had been behind his Arm Slave, down on the ground after being taken by surprise despite being able to have a Lamba energy barrier activated.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

"Why you!" Sousuke gritted his teeth and fired his Boxer at the Codarl. As usual, the Codarl had generated a Lamba Driver barrier around it and destroyed the Boxer shot meant for it.

**"Hmph!"** Gauron sneered at Sousuke's attempt to attack him while he fought with the Falke, making his Codarl face the Arbalest.** "You don't get it, do you? Unlike the pilot of that black Arm Slave, you don't seem to understand how to operate the Lamba Driver at all."  
**

"Masaka..." Sousuke whispered as Gauron walked towards the Arbalest after he used a quick Lamba energy attack on the Falke that tried to sneak up on it from behind.

"Let's finish this dance." The Codarl suddenly began to pick up pace from a slow walk as it began to build up towards a fast run.

**"Sousuke!"** Kaname called on him. **"All you have to do is concentrate."**

**"I wasn't able to generate a barrier the last time!"** replied Sousuke

**"Think about this!"** Kaname fired back with a suggestion of her own. **"If you or the other guy lose against that Arm Slave, they're going to rip my clothes off, play around with me and finish me off when they're through."**

_Can't let that happen to Ms. Chidori! My mission will be a failure if it does happen... _

Hearing Kaname's words sink into his head, Sousuke began to tighten his grip on the control sticks. He felt sick when he saw mental images of Gauron aiming his Sig Sauer P226R pistol at her, laser dot sight pointed at her head. That image alone make him sink his head, eyeing the metallic floor of the Arbalest's cockpit.

**"You don't want that to happen, do you?" **

**"No."** Sousuke replied, who was now facing the monitors. **"No, I don't."**

**"Does it make you mad?"**

**"I guess so." **

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

**"Then point the gun at him!"**

With the Arbalest aiming the Boxer, the Codarl charging at it with its Dark Edge at the ready and with the Falke still on the ground, Kaname smiled a bit when she said, **"Close your eyes. Trust me. In a few seconds, you'll strike at him."**

"Hey!" Shinji objected. "You can't tell a person to close his eyes!"

"That's right." Kurz too had voiced his objection as well. "Sousuke'll be vulnerable if he does that right now."

**"Now take a deep breath."** Kaname decided to ignore the objections of the two SRT operators and instead, went back to help Sousuke. **"And put the image in mind." **After a few minutes, the high school student shouted at the radio extender's mouthpiece.

**"And now!"**

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

"Here goes!"

Sousuke had aimed the Boxer right in front of the Codarl after their two Lamba Drivers had been activated, with the former having his shotgun's barrel penetrate the latter's due to the overwhelming energy that Sousuke had exerted to the Arbalest's Lambda Driver and was able to fire off a single 57 mm shot at the Codarl before a triangle was formed overhead due to the power of the two Lamba Drivers combined. Within minutes, an explosion was heard with smoke and dust covering the two Arm Slaves before fire had emerged.

* * *

Hill, near abandoned communal farms, somewhere in North Korea

The radio on Kaname's hands was hurled to the ground due to the sheer shock of the explosion. She, as well as Shinji and Kurz were at awe to see the power of the Arbalest's Lamba Driver overwhelm the Codarl's with Sousuke's strong willpower.

"Wow..." Kaname whispered, at sheer awe on how strong the Arbalest is. "I've never seen an Arm Slave like those three..."

"Oh man!" Shinji was heard, squealing like a little girl. "I've never seen such an intense Arm Slave battle like that since the '97 Zanzibar Land Independence War!"

"Uh... The Zanzibar Land War?" Kurz was confused. _Sure brings back some memories that I wanna talk about. But..._ He felt a sweat drop falling off his back since he didn't expect a masked SRT operator to like an excited child over seeing a new video game or toy that was out in a shop's window display. "Ahhh... Never mind!" The blonde SRT operator had sighed in frustration.

Kaname broke into a small smile when from the flames emerged the Arbalest and Falke, out of danger and unharmed. Though the only thing that Kaname saw that the former's head region was partially damaged from the charged explosive contact between the dual Lamba Drivers of the Arbalest and the Codarl.

**"Let's get out of here. It's not safe here."** Sousuke had the Arbalest's metallic hands touch down on the ground. Kaname had settled on the right hand with Shinji assisting Kurz, Type 98 rifle slinged on his back, to get on the left hand before the former did so as well. Afterwards, the two Arm Slaves sprinted off towards the west coastline. The Arbalest was first with Kaname, Kurz and Shinji in tow with the Falke protecting its rear with the Mauser MGK rifle that it took near the scorched ground that the Arbalest and Codarl was seen last, which was still usable.

* * *

Somewhere near the western coastline, North Korea

"Hey man!" Kurz had yelled, moments after the Arbalest and Falke had jumped out of the forests. "You could've picked a more suitable method for transporting injured people like me!"

"There's no time to argue!" Shinji had yelled to Kurz.

**"We'll be expecting enemy trouble in a matter of minutes!"** Sousuke added during his reprimand to his SRT comrade. **"Chidori, how are you feeling?"** The undercover Jindai High student had addressed Kaname.

"Much better, thanks!" Kaname had replied. "But I didn't even know what I was quite saying back there a while ago, you know..."

**"Sagara! Incoming!" **Sousuke glanced on the left monitor in the Arbalest's cockpit, its screen alerting him to a KPAF Mil Mi-24D helicopter gunship inbound. He also noticed a KPA soldier inside was armed with a Hwasung-Chong portable SAM launcher, perfectly aimed at Arbalest.

"Not good." Sousuke gritted his teeth, feeling sweat trickle down his temples. He didn't know what to do since he can't risk Kaname, Kurz and Shinji without being able to defend them or himself by taking out the lone Mil Mi-24D chopper with a weapon.

The Falke, which was running close behind the Arbalest, had fired the newly acquired Mauser MGK rifle at the Mil Mi-24D before the soldier in the chopper had the chance to fire his Hwasung-Chong. With the AS-sized rifle spitting out several 35 mm bullets against the flying beast, Sousuke saw that the Soviet-made gunship chopper was hit in its tail rotor, cabin and cockpit, not being fully armored against AS-sized small arms.

**"Take that! He!" **Kaname swore that she heard Ronald chuckle a bit after seeing the Mil Mi-24D go down in flames before it crashed onto the ground and exploded upon landing. Not minding it, she turned around to see that the morning sun was beginning to rise over the Yellow Sea. At last, Kaname's heart began to beat rapidly at the sight of this. She had never seen a sunrise before and today was her first time to see it while being rescued and transported to safety.

"Look!" Kaname had shouted, pointing to the coastline up ahead. "It's the coastline! We're saved..." Only Kurz and Shinji looked up ahead to see some familiar-looking Arm Slaves armed with assault rifles aimed at them.

"Oh great!" Shinji sighed, knowing that his Type 88 rifle can't penetrate the Arm Slave's armor. "We're having a welcoming committee up ahead..."

"Led by several North Korean Savages with their BK-540 rifles as a complimentary way of saying goodbye." Kurz added sarcastically. The Falke stepped up ahead of the Arbalest and fired a single 50 mm grenade into the Savages, blowing up at least 4 of them before a stray shot from their rear took out another Savage AS by surprise with two more damaged severely before they fell into the Yellow Sea.

**"Sousuke! You've got one chance!"** Melissa was on her M9E armed with her Bofors ASG96-b 57 mm smoothbore gun, standing on top of the TDD-1's AS/Helicopter lift. **"Jump from the tip of the cape!"**

**"Go ahead!"** Ronald had fired on two more Mil Mi-24D choppers that arrived in the area from their rear. **"Those guys in your hands have the greatest priority first!"**

**"Roger!" **Sousuke began the hard task of running all the way to the tip of the cape, with people on the Arbalest's hands. But he knew that Ronald was covering his back, which made his job a bit easier.

"We made it." Kurz said, after feeling the vibration due to the strong impact of the Arbalest after it landed.

**"Move out!"** Sousuke advised his CO. **"There's another Arm Slave coming. And it's on our side."**

**"Understood, Sousuke."** replied Melissa. Within minutes, Ronald had the Falke also run towards the cape's tip until it made a leap similar to the Arbalest, landing on the TDD-1's lift.

Ronald began to send in an encoded radio message after instructing Anna to begin the encrypting procedure, so as not to alert Melissa to his presence. _Forgive me achie, but I can't let you know yet that it's me._ **"I'm on board. Get the lift down at once!"**

As the TDD-1 began to submerge into the waters of the Yellow Sea, the AS/Helicopter lift began to descend down towards the submarine's belly, safe with its cargo.

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere between the Yellow and East China Seas

Ronald had descended down from his Falke, already on its hands and feet, with his balaclava worn and Type 98-F moments he had climbed out of his Arm Slave unit. He caught a glance of Kaname being carted away by medical personnel in a wheeled stretcher.

_Damn! Doctor Goldberry must have administered a sedative on her in order to keep her sleeping like a little baby... _Awaiting the masked SRT operator were Kalinin and Shinji, who took was masked as a precaution after he had stepped down from the Arbalest's left hand. His Type 88 was slinged on his back.

"Commander Kalinin!" Ronald had promptly saluted the Soviet officer, having to click his feet as well after he held the rifle sling placed on his left shoulder since he had seen the urgent look on Kalinin's face.

"Good to see you alive and well, Uruz 11." Kalinin saluted back. "But there's no time to waste. Captain Testarossa needs to see you two on the double."

Ronald then placed his hand down after saluting Kalinin, "Understood, sir."

* * *

Teletha Testarossa's Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere between the Yellow and East China Seas

"At ease, you two." Tessa, who was seated, acknowledged the salutes of Ronald and Shinji after arriving in the captain's office. Mardukas, with his usual British Navy ballcap that showed the HMS Turbulent (S87), was standing next to Tessa's right. Once Ronald and Shinji were in a parade rest position with their rifles slinged on their backs, Kalinin walked towards Tessa's left.

"It's great to see you two, alive." Tessa began, thanking the two SRT operators. "I never in my wildest dreams would have expected the both of you to be in the same flight as Ms. Chidori was."

"I think it was only a pure matter of coincidence, captain." Shinji stated his thoughts. Tessa nodded at his reply.

Mardukas began to speak up, in a bit of an uptight manner from his British Navy days, "Even with that conjecture, there's no time to waste. What have you two learned so far from North Korea?"

"Just like we've told Commander Kalinin, Commander Mardukas." Ronald replied right away. "A known terrorist, who I believe you all know him as Gauron, had the support of the Korean People's Army. And he had an advanced Arm Slave as well..."

"Arm Slave..." Tessa wondered, a bit alarmed.

"Yes." Ronald nodded. "I fought with it and Gauron had excelled in fighting against me and Sergeant Sagara since it had a Lambda Driver built in his unit."

"A Lamba Driver?" Now Tessa was a bit worried, she leaned forward before she reclined back in her chair, playing with her ponytail. _Oh dear! Another mysterious organization with a Lamba Driver user._

"Anything else you can add, Corporal Kazama?" Kalinin went to ask the Japanese SRT operator.

"I picked up some transmissions from a stolen enemy radio," Shinji answered. "and I fought out some information about the terrorists that had North Korean aid."

Kalinin nodded a bit, "Please elaborate. This can be useful to us."

Shinji nodded also, "Of course sir. But the only thing that I've heard so far was a name." Shinji swallowed his saliva before he continued with his explanation. "The only thing I remember was Vezirzade."

"Is that all?" Mardukas had asked.

"No, sir." Ronald shook his head. "When I interrogated the scientist in the trailer with Ms. Chidori inside, she did say one name." Tessa, Mardukas and Kalinin waited for him to tell them. "She said Amalgam."

"Amalgam?" Tessa wondered.

"That's right." Ronald nodded. "Nothing else."

"Corporal Kazama." Tessa addressed the masked Japanese SRT operator. "You're dismissed." She then faced Mardukas and Kalinin. "You too as well." As soon as Shinji, Kalinin and Mardukas had saluted Tessa in unison, the three MITHRIL personnel left the room. However, Mardukas took a sharp glance at Ronald's masked face for a second before leaving the office.

"By the way," Tessa had asked Ronald. "were you able to confirm if Ms. Chidori..."

"Yes, I'm afraid." Ronald answered, not giving Tessa a chance to finish her question. "I felt her when I tried to resonate with her mind. It was most likely that her Whispered abilities were accelerated from the scientist's experiments on her."

Tessa sighed and frowned when she had heard about what he did in the North Korean mission. "I wish that you didn't do that. You know that it's very dangerous." Ronald began to feel a bit nervous when she stood up from her chair.

_What the hell is she going to do. _In a few minutes, Ronald did not expect what he had expected from his new commanding officer.

"I was really happy and worried about you." Tessa had looped her arms around his waist, her head leaning on his chest. "When I heard that you were on the plane back in North Korea, I felt my heart was beating rapidly."

"Damnit!" Ronald whispered. "I sure hope Mardukas had better not show up or I'm dead..."

"Could you take off your mask?" Tessa asked, staring to the masked teen's black eyes. "I need to get a good look on you." She then frowned a bit, making a furrow appear. "And that's an order."

"What can I do about it? Hard to say no." When Ronald took off his balaclava and held it on his left hand, Tessa was stunned to see a 16-year old with black hair and eyes, not to mention that he had a neat-looking face.

The same face that Tessa had last seen of him after he left the MITHRIL Officer Candidate Course and disappeared from Tessa's life. "It is you." She sighed, still having her arms looped on his waist a bit.

Now releasing her arms, the TDD-1 commander began to speak up again with the black-haired Whispered teen after placing her right hand on her hip. "I'm still angry that you left the officer candidate course after you were away for a year."

Ronald sighed; he didn't like it when he made women angry. The Chinese-Filipino Whispered knew what Tessa was talking about. "Look, I'm sorry." insisted Ronald. "But it's just that I felt that being a MITHRIL officer isn't in my style after I was there for 4 months." _Not since uncle brought me to Zanzibar Land from Outer Heaven._

"But..." Tessa only whispered. "why?"

"Now's not the time for me to explain." Ronald explained. "I haven't even revealed my presence to my own cousin and I can't do it yet. At least not while Gauron and his Amalgam handlers are out there."

Tessa nodded. "Okay." She then frowned again, but this time with seriousness in her tone. "But when this is done, you and I are going to sit down and talk about this, understand?"

A smile adorned Ronald's face and saluted his commanding officer. "Yes, ma'am!"

Seeing the happy smile that Tessa saw in Ronald's face, she couldn't help but remember the first time she met him as an officer candidate.

* * *

2000

_"Tessa!" Admiral Borda was walking down the halls of the ARGYROS security company office in his MITHRIL Admiral's uniform. _

_"Hello, Admiral." Tessa greeted the Admiral, minutes after she emerged out of the female rest room. She was surprised to see that someone was beside the Admiral, who was also dressed in a MITHRIL officer's uniform._

_"I want you to meet someone." Admiral Borda motioned to the teen standing next to him. "His name's Ronald. Ronald Takeda Chua. He's also a Whispered like you."_

_Ronald reached his left hand out to shake hands with Tessa. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard about you from the Admiral. I never thought that I'd find someone else who happens to be a Whispered."_

_Tessa, in response, reached out her right hand and shook hands with Ronald. "The same here." The young girl giggled a bit. "I must say that I'm also surprised to find another Whispered in the ranks of MITHRIL."_

_"Starting today," Admiral Borda began. "he's attending the officer candidate course. That means you two will be in it together..."_

_"I see." Tessa blushed a bit when she stared at Ronald._

_"Er... a ha ha ha." Ronald nervously chuckled. "Try not to think about that. " At the same time, he also nervously scratched the rear of his head._

* * *

"That's good to hear." Smiling, Tessa raised her right hand and acknowledged the salute of her ex-officer candidate friend turned subordinate.

_I just hope that he'll be here in TDD-1 for as long as possible..._

The ponytailed officer had grinned to herself, knowing that things may be better for her for the days to come.

* * *

Somewhere in Bokuto Hospital, Sumida, Tokyo, Japan

Shinji, now in his Jindai High uniform, had arrived inside Bokuto Hospital. Being fully debriefed by MITHRIL Intelligence officers stationed at Merida Island, he had learned that Kaname had been staying at the said hospital as means of recovering from whatever injuries that she may have sustained in North Korea, as well as to deflect any suspicion on her regarding her nature as a fully awakened Whispered. Something that some high-ranking officers in MITHRIL were already disturbed after being informed Tessa in a meeting with some of the representatives via holographic conference.

"Man, what a drag." Shinji sighed, heading towards the room where Kaname was suppose to be staying. He only noticed it when he saw Ms. Kagurazaka talking to some of his classmates from Section 2-4.

"Ms. Kagurazaka." greeted Shinji. "Is Kaname already awake?"

Ms. Kagurazaka nodded. "Yes, she is. I think it would make her a bit better if she was inside."

"All right. Thank you." Excusing himself, Shinji entered the room to see Kaname had been hugging Sousuke for a while. Glancing to his left, Shinji noticed Kyoko was there with some of the other students who had arrived to visit Kaname.

"What's going on?" Shinji had asked, scratching his chin.

"It was so sweet of Sagara-kun to come and visit her." Kyoko began, her eyes beaming. Shinji was sweating a bit. _I wonder if Sousuke learned that part from Zanzibar..._

"Imagine." Kyoko explained to her classmate. "That Sagara-kun even went out of his way to get a gift for her." Shinji saw that Kaname and Sousuke were then talking, though he read the lips of Kaname that she was thanking Sousuke for what he did in North Korea, even though she was whispered that part to him.

"I see..." Shinji never expected his mercenary-raised classmate and fellow SRT comrade to do so. "I never thought that he did it, but I guess it's the thought that counts."

Kyoko nodded, "You got that, right."

* * *

Somewhere in Central, Hong Kong, South China

Gauron, now dressed in a black business suit and red tie, was mingling alongside the people in the busy streets of Central. He was apparently speaking on his cell phone, the loud noises in the background enough for him not to be discovered in the open who he was talking to.

**"Yes, I understand."** Gauron began to reply back to the speaker on the other line. **"I know that the attempt to have Kaname Chidori fully tested as a Whispered was not successful from MITHRIL interfering with the operation, but I got results that she is really one."** He waited a few more minutes before he replied, **"In fact, one of our safe houses in the Philippines may be compromised real soon."**

**"I understand." **Gauron had answered the speaker while gently pushing a person who was in front of him.** "I'll have that problem taken care of at once."**

After Gauron had ended the call, he proceeded to dial up several numbers on his cell phone and placed it on his left ear. He then waited while the dialing tone was heard.

_While I'm around Central, I think I better play those the twins. Fei Xu and Yu Fan did say that they need some vacation time for some time._

Gauron gave an evil grin on his face, thinking about what to do next.

_And I have just the plan for them to do in the Philippines. _

A 5-year old child, seeing Gauron grin with his teeth showing, cowered beside his mother and held her hand more carefully as they crossed the pedestrian crosswalk after the pedestrian signal showed a WALK signal.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, en route to Luzon Strait

A few days had passed since the rescue of Kaname Chidori and the other Jindai High students and personnel from North Korean soil. With Ronald and Shinji officially in the West Pacific Fleet, their new home base was in Merida Island.

"Come on, hurry!"

Recently, the two were seen in the island base and in TDD-1 wearing their usual MITHRIL olive green SRT BDUs. They had Zanzibar Land red berets tucked underneath their shoulder straps.

"What's the briefing about?"

"I don't know, Shinji." The two masked SRT operators had been running for the past 10 minutes after being informed by Kalinin on an upcoming briefing.

"I wonder what the upcoming operation is about?"

"Not sure." Ronald said, the first to arrive near the door leading to the briefing room. "All I know is that we're going on our first combat operation with the West Pacific Fleet."

"Where to?"

Ronald eyed Shinji carefully before he answered, "To the Philippines."

"Hey..." Shinji whispered. "Isn't that where you were from before we first met in Outer Heaven from the, you know...?"

"Yeah." Ronald nodded. "But right now is not a good time for a nice little walk down memory lane." Firmly gripping his hand on the door leading to the door, Ronald further spoke to his friend. _Besides, I don't even want to talk about it right now..._

"Besides, we've got some work to do."

With the door now opened, Ronald and Shinji stepped inside with the sound of their Altama Black Jungle boots echoing inside the TDD-1's briefing room.

Chapter 5 END

PS - Hope this was still good as always. Tenshi in Japanese means angel. And I hope you peeps know what I'm referencing here...

The Hwasung-Chong is the North Korean-licensed version of the SA-7 Grail SAM. Achie, as I have mentioned here, is a Fookien/Minnan term that refers to a female that you know (e.g. relative, sister, family friend, etc.) 'Nuff said.

I'm not sure if I did well with the Tessa/Ronald scene so far. I only was able to do that in order to introduce the relationship between the now Whispered MITHRIL personnel, something which I played around. For that, I apologize. Also did a minor Sousuke/Kaname thing, but I hope its okay for now. I'll try and do better ones in the future.

Also, I'm almost done doing my other paper in Political Thought since my prof gave me an extension to do it. Which means, yay! But I'm almost done anyway, though it should give me more time to do it. Hope this chapter was good. Meanwhile, read and review guys and gals. Get ready for some Arm Slave and foot combat, not to mention with guns and CQC/martial arts galore in the next chapter!

If you guys spot a Metal Gear reference, let me know from which game it's from. Should be easy to find. I'll try and do an operation name for the next chapter based on a Tom Clancy book. I'll try and get out another chapter soon by the 1st week of December since I'll be preparing for my 1st university finals since transferring. Hopefully, I'll be alright since questions will be known to me ASAP, but I'll have to crunch hard on that part soon.


	6. Warning Shots

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke would've make really sure that that the real Satoru Shirai wouldn't be present to mess up Sousuke and Mizuki going out to impress her old junior high friends. Ah, youth. Well, I don't have a girlfriend yet since graduating from university is important, though it's fine with me if I can snag one in the future. Oh joy!

Summary:

With Kaname back safely in Japanese territory after the North Korean rescue operation had been deemed a success by MITHRIL. As the organization has now made preparations on an operation planned on Philippine territory with an unknown mission objective. Meanwhile, Gauron has made preparations to move out against any trouble that would endanger him and act on behalf of an unknown organization called Amalgam. What is the unknown operation that MITHRIL has planned? Will it be a success or a failure? Will Gauron try and intervene in the operation? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 6: Warning Shots

Briefing Room, Special Operations Command Korea HQ, Camp Kim, Yongsan Garrison, Yongsan, Seoul, South Korea

"All right. Let's summarize the details that we've got." Liquid was in the briefing room's podium, speaking to the people inside the briefing room.

All FOXHOUND and RAINBOW personnel that had participated in the North Korean rescue operation had been present. Pyro Bison and Vulcan Raven, two of FOXHOUND's operatives who were known for their giant stature, were also summoned in the meeting despite not being able to participate in the said operation.

"So far, the rescue in North Korea had been a complete success." Liquid coughed a bit before drinking a glass of water. "However, there's still a small matter that we need to discuss."

"Is it with those guys, guv?" Kevin had asked.

"Yes, indeed." Liquid replied. "MITHRIL."

"But wait a second." Kan objected. "They haven't done anything to hamper the operation."

"That's true." Ocelot answered the Japanese RAINBOW operative. "Sooner or later though, some political bigwig's gonna say that they need to be taken care of."

"Which is why," Lee insisted. "that we talk about the presence of MITHRIL in North Korea." The South Korean RAINBOW operative stretched his legs. "First things first we need to talk about is how were they able to know about the situation there?"

"An agent..."

Everyone inside the briefing room stared at Mantis, still wearing his black leather suit and respirator on his head. Some of the RAINBOW members whispered to themselves that they had a creepy feeling when they heard Mantis spoke on an answer.

"They had some agents in that hijacked plane." Mantis said before he exhaled. "That's how they were able to make their attack in Sunan."

Liquid, having been told of Mantis' answer, began to reflect on Lee's question carefully. _So that's how those MITHRIL guys were able to pull off their attack? Interesting._

Ayana then asked Liquid, "Now that we know of how MITHRIL was in the area, what's the next move?"

"We don't."

The British CO of FOXHOUND soon saw that the eyes of his FOXHOUND comrades and RAINBOW allies were staring at him very, very carefully. _Now I know how it feels to be a in a televised national debate on TV._

"Did I just hear you right?" Jamal asked. Liquid saw that the Egyptian RAINBOW operative was a bit skeptical on his answer.

"Yes, you did." sighed Liquid. "Look, they didn't do anything to compromise the mission and they did have a hand in helping us evacuate the passengers."

"But some national governments did object to the existence of MITHRIL." Sophia pointed it out to her CO. "In fact, some of them did say that they're willing to confront MITHRIL over this and their role in counter-terrorism."

"I still stand by my answer." Liquid objected. "Even though you're right. In the near future, those couch potatoes in the Pentagon would start to plan out some sort of gimmick to take down MITHRIL while making them look like heroes. Until then, they're our allies."

"Are you sure about this?" Louis had then voiced his concern. "I mean, we do know that some countries can't tolerate MITHRIL's existence."

"Which is why we're going to give them the support they need in case we meet up again." Liquid replied. "Besides, they are helping us out in making our job a bit easier..."

* * *

Briefing room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, en route to Luzon Strait

"Excuse us, sir." Ronald said, with him and Shinji saluting Kalinin and Tessa upon entering the briefing room.

"You two are just in time." Kalinin replied. "Have a seat." As the two teenaged SRT operators took their seats, whispers were abound regarding their Armored Muscle Suits worn underneath their BDUS and the red Zanzibar Land berets underneath their shoulder straps.

"Save the chatter for later, people." Kalinin reminded his men as he began the briefing.

"As you may know," Kalinin had the projector show an image of North Korea's geographic map. "Operation Entebbe in North Korea has managed to land us some intel regarding the terrorists that had kidnapped Ms. Chidori." Moments later, an image of the Philippines' geographic map was shown. "Intelligence has concluded that one of its members has escaped to the Philippines via plane from South Korea."

A few minutes later, the image of an Asian man in his middle '30s with black hair and a scar running down his left cheek was shown.

"His image is Leung Kai Fei." Kalinin began, reading the man's name from his clipboard. "An international arms dealer well known in Southeast Asia. He's responsible for running firearms and Arm Slaves that fueled most guerrilla conflicts in the region."

"That's some nasty scar he's got." chuckled Kurz. Peeking around his right shoulder, the blond 19-year old spotted the Zanzibar Land berets in the shoulder straps of Ronald and Shinji's SRT BDUs. _So those two have fought in the Zanzibar Land Independence War eh? Sure brings back some memories._

"Intelligence has reported that this man has assisted Gauron in seizing the hijacked flight from Japanese airspace prior to its landing in Sunan Airbase in terms of logistics for his men." Kalinin then faced the SRT and PRT operators present before passing on papers containing intelligence on Leung Kai Fei. "If you would take a look, that is where he was last seen according to Intelligence's Philippine Bureau."

Shinji, having grabbed the paper that Kalinin has passed around, saw where Leung was hiding. The paper had a map detailing a warehouse complex with several warehouse buildings inside with marked positions indicating hostiles and another with indications as to where Leung's estimated position is.

"Your mission is to snatch Leung from the abandoned warehouse complex as indicated in the map." Kalinin had stated regarding the latest mission. "We'll strike in the evening so as to give us the element of surprise." The ponytailed officer turned to face Tessa, seated to observe the briefing. "Captain."

"Yes." Standing up, Tessa went up to stand in front of her SRT and PRT subordinates.

"This operation is to be conducted in the usual manner as always." Tessa looked from left to right as she spoke to emphasis, especially when she glanced at Ronald in the back seat with Shinji. "We need this man alive, so I want to make it very clear that no one is to shoot him in case of an encounter." She then faced the SRT commanding officer, Captain Gail McAllen. "Captain McAllen, please ensure that those who participate in the mission are to make note of this."

"Understood, ma'am." The Australian SRT officer stood up from his seat after nodding to Tessa. "All right, people. This is what we'll do for the upcoming operation..."

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, en route to Luzon Strait

"Can't believe this..."

Inside the hangar, Ronald was alone in the cockpit of his Falke in the midst of inputting commands on its AI system.

**"Anna." **Ronald called on his AI computer.** "Make sure that the auto-AS input system is fully running later on. I won't be able to join up later on."**

**"Understood." **Ronald then activated the shut down system for Anna. He then sighed, "Man, I'm feeling tired today."

"Well..." A feminine voice soon caught Ronald's attention. "Never expected you to be reassigned to TDD-1." When the masked SRT operator stared to his left, he saw a familiar blond woman staring back at him.

Ronald saw who was talking to him, "Nora Lemming." whispered the lone Falke operator. "I thought I recognized you when I first arrived in TDD-1 a few days ago."

"I haven't seen you for a while since we worked together on the Arbalest project." Ronald eyed Nora carefully, noticing that she was wearing a MITHRIL female officer's uniform. "Ahem..."

"Pardon me." Ronald stuttered, when his eyes _accidentally_ wondered on her chest. _Damn! Not a good way to get yourself reacquainted._

"Putting that aside," Nora used her hand to shuffle some of her blond hair strands away from her left eye. "I heard that you're participating in the upcoming snatch operation."

"Yep." Ronald took off his balaclava. "In fact, it's a perfect opportunity for me to test out a system that I planned out during my time back in R&D."

"And what about?" Nora raised her left eyebrow, still unsure on what he was talking about.

"I'm going to test out a program that I installed here." Ronald patted the cockpit's main monitor. "Well, it's actually a program that allows a third-generation AS like the Falke here to be autonomous in terms of combat capabilities."

Nora had her fingers drum on her chin. "That's... interesting."

"It isn't bad if you don't try it out right?" Ronald chuckled, running his right hand on his black hair.

"That's right." Nora nodded slowly.

"And one more thing," Ronald held up his right index finger in front of his face. "just make sure you don't tell anyone about my real identity. I can't be exposed yet."

* * *

Tessa had made her into the hangar en route from the briefing room to further speak with Ronald. After greeting one of the technicians making some maintenance on one of the M9Es, Tessa saw that Ronald was wearing his balaclava and speaking with Nora near the Falke, which was on its hands and knees as space for it to stand up was not an option. Just seeing the two of them made Tessa a bit uneasy.

"Why do I feel uneasy when I see them talk?"

During her time with R&D, Tessa had remembered hearing rumors that something had been going on between Ronald and Nora, suggesting that the two were in an affair of sorts. Though the two had eventually spoke out of the rumor and denied it, Tessa felt a bit uneasy about it even though she was relieved that the rumors were false.

"Are you all right?"

Tessa, startled, saw that Ronald was in front of her. He was staring at her, a bit worried when Ronald noted that Tessa was playing with her braid as usual.

"I-I'm sorry!" The TDD-1 commander blurted out moments after Ronald had snapped her from her train of thought. Her cheeks had turned red in a matter of minutes.

"It's all right..." Ronald assured her, waving his hands in front of her. "I was just wondering why you were standing there, staring at the Falke back there."

"I... I see."

"Anyway." Ronald chuckled a bit, seeing that Tessa was fine. "I have to go. Gotta get ready for my first mission with the TDD-1."

"Wait." Tessa gently grabbed his left BDU sleeve, making Ronald stop from walking out of the hangar.

When she saw Ronald was staring at her, Tessa lowered her head a bit and blushed before she whispered a bit for him to hear, "Just be careful, okay?"

Ronald only nodded, a light red marking his cheeks before Tessa smiled a bit and removed her hand from Ronald's left BDU sleeve. She waved her hand as Ronald went out of the hangar towards the direction of the submarine's armory.

* * *

Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, en route to Luzon Strait

"Hey!" Shinji greeted Ronald, who had entered the armory. The former had been seated in front of a long table with assorted firearms neatly placed on the tabletop. "I'm getting our weapons ready." The two had their Armored Muscle Suits underneath their BDUs.

"Thanks, Shinji." Ronald handled a Bernardelli VB-SR assault rifle from the table. Ejecting its 30-round magazine and replacing it back in the VB-SR's STANAG magazine receiver before using his left hand and cocked the rifle to load a single 5.56 NATO bullet into the barrel. "Looks good." After replacing the VB-SR, Ronald took the New Nambu M-57A pistol and deactivated the safety catch before ejecting a customized 16-round magazine.

"Doesn't that pistol usually hold 8 rounds?" Shinji asked, taking off his balaclava.

"Yeah. Minebea was crappy to do only 8-round ones." Ronald, likewise, took his balaclava off as well after returning the magazine back into the pistol and placing it on the tabletop next to the VB-SR. "I had some 16-round mags customized though." He stared at the armory's wall clock. "Which reminds me, I heard that he's here."

"Miss me guys?"

An 18-year old brown-haired teen with a MITHRIL SRT BDU on had been inside the armory, leaning against the wall with his back pressed on. He had a grin on his face with his arms crossed on his chest and left leg propped on the wall behind him.

"What the?" Ronald whispered. "It's him."

"Timothy Byrne." Shinji ran up to the SRT operator and exchanged high fives. "How are you?"

"Great." replied Timothy. "Remember to call me Tim though."

Shinji nodded, "Got it."

"How's Ireland treating you?" Ronald asked. "Haven't seen you for a while since some of us had fought back in Zanzibar Land Independence War in '99."

"Fine." Tim ran his hand on his brown hair. "Tried to locate some news on my family. So far, no luck."

"That's a shame." _Yeah, a shame since we were all orphaned with our folks killed in bombings set by Gauron..._

"Anyway," Tim went to the long table to grab his tactical vest. "I believe I'm to be involved with the mission."

"So we're forming a 3-man team?" Ronald began to get his tactical vest ready before collecting four 35-round rifle magazines and four 16-round pistol magazines.

Tim replied, "That's an understatement, my friend. The others have 4-man teams."

"Are the others coming?"

"Ha. 'Fraid not." Tim shook his head. "The other two have been reported in sick by Goldberry for the next two weeks. Haven't asked why. And our boyo's still in Japan. Don't know what he's doing. Heard it's top secret stuff."

"All right." Ronald passed on MITHRIL R&D-made communications headset consisting of a headset with a pair of assault glasses, attached on top of the headset, that can be moved up when not in use and down to be worn over their eyes. The glasses can be activated with normal, thermal or night vision. "We're issued with these guys, so better not lose them."

"Ya got me there." Tim took the comm headset from Ronald after he passed another set off to Shinji. "Right," Tim stared at the armory's wall clock. "we better go. It's almost time."

"Right." Shinji replied. "Let's get our weapons and head to the hangar."

* * *

Near Bataan territorial waters, somewhere in the South China Sea

As evening descended on the Philippines, the TDD-1 has surfaced a bit in the South China Sea away from Philippine territory. Despite the fact that the Philippine Air Force's lack of radar facilities may not hinder the submarine from being discovered, around 3 Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare transporting 2 M9E Gernsback Arm Slaves with Ronald's Falke unit had flown off from the TDD-1's AS/Helicopter lift before activating its ECS units, camouflaging itself in order to avoid being detected by PAF radar as the presence of American forces in Subic Bay and Clark could augment Philippine forces in using radar to detect them.

* * *

Cabin, Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare, en route to Bataan

"Hey Kurz." Melissa was seated next to Kurz, alongside some other SRT/PRT operators in the chopper. She and Kurz, along with some SRT and PRT personnel selected for the operation, were busy preparing their weapons and gear for the upcoming raid. Their chopper had Kurz' M9E loaded as it had its legs curled up to its chest and its arms hugging it as it was seated on the chopper's floor, held in that position with several restraints meant to prevent the AS from moving around from turbulence.

"Yeah?" Kurz yawned, a bit tired since he had little time to sleep.

"I saw you staring at those two guys back in the briefing room." The Chinese-American SRT operator spoke to her subordinate. "You seem to be bothered by their presence. Is there something I should know about?"

Kurz shook his head, stretching his arms to relieve fatigue since he was in an AS pilot suit. "Not much though." Kurz suddenly frowned when he leaned back on the cabin's wall. "But I spotted red berets on their shoulder straps."

Melissa raised her left eyebrow. "And?"

"And spotted the words ZL." Kurz yawned again before he spoke again, "Zanzibar Land."

"You mean the former Soviet oblast that won independence with help from mercenaries in the late '90s?"

"Yep." Kurz propped his head with his hands behind it. "Fought there myself. If I did remember, I fought there with Sousuke. Though back then, we didn't know each other that well."

"I see." Melissa then pondered her thoughts on seeing the two masked SRT operators, recent transfers to the TDD-1. _I just can't help, but think that one of them is familiar to me. I just can't figure out who..._

"Is there something up?" Kurz leaned up to Melissa with a grin. "Maybe I can help ya..."

All that Kurz got for a reply was Melissa's right clenched fist up his face. "Don't get fresh with me, pal." Her actions soon made the other SRT/PRT operators scurry away from the angry Sergeant Major.

* * *

In another MH-67 Pave Mare, it had Ronald's Falke alongside Ronald, Shinji and Tim as they made their way towards their destination.

"Got your gear ready?" Tim, now wearing his comm headset and tactical vest, was armed with an Armscor M-30SAS shotgun fabricated with a Picatinny rail on its upper receiver and a torchlight attached on a barrel mount under the shotgun's barrel.

"No problem." Ronald wore his headset over his balaclava. He had his VB-SR rifle slinged on his neck, with the weapon resting on his lap. Holstered on his left leg was his M-57A pistol. As for Shinji, he had his headset already worn over his balaclava. However, he was armed with a GIAT FAMAS G2 Commando assault rifle with a Vektor Z88 pistol holstered on his right leg.

"So what's the plan?" asked Shinji, seated next to Ronald.

"Three cells consisting of three SRT and PRT operators would search all the buildings in the area." Ronald took out a map from his vest and unfolded it. "While Captain McAllen, Kurz and the Falke here would secure the perimeter later on of enemy AS units," Ronald's allowed the fingertip of his left gloved index finger to trace the arrows that indicated the teams' plan in securing the complex. "we'll take out all the sentries before we search the two warehouses before the main building near the center of the complex."

"That sounds pretty easy." Tim grinned, moving the M-30SAS' pump handle. "I'm game for that."

"Yeah." Ronald sighed. "Let's just hope it goes well." He sighed while he placed a Picatinny rail scope mount on the VB-SR's upper receiver.

* * *

Somewhere near abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

Two 16-year old teens, male and female, with Chinese features dropped down from a tree branch near the northern side of the complex. The female had a bit of long black hair, red eyes and a mole under her left eye. She wore a black skirt with a red and blue blouse. As for the male, he had short black hair and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue shirt, a black vest worn over it and black pants.

"It appears that Gauron-lǎoshī is right." The female saw the two M9E landing in the forests south of the complex from the air with the Falke following behind. "We're having some unexpected guests."

"You worry too much, Yu Lan." grinned the male. "It should give us some cover to infiltrate the place." He watched as the Falke made quick work of a Rk-91 Savage after it was hastily slashed with the Falke's Crimson Edge monomolecular edge. Moments later, some booming sounds were heard in the distance, followed by the sounds of what seemed to be the sound made by collapsing Arm Slaves.

Xia Yu Lan watched the situation with much curiosity. "You could be right, Fei Xiu." The Chinese girl eyed the perimeter around the complex. "Not much opposition around."

"Come on." Fei Xiu motioned to Yu Lan towards the northern complex wall. "We need to get inside and fast." Seeing a stack of boxes propped against the wall, Yu Lan ran up to it and jumped on top before she jumped again to cling on the complex's concrete wall barrier. After being able to climb up, she waited for Fei Xiu to do the same thing.

Yu Lan reached out to grab Fei Xiu's left hand, pulling him up to the top of the barrier. Afterwards, the two silently jumped down towards the ground before making their way towards the 5-story main building.

"Let's go and get the target before they arrive." advised Yu Lan. She and Fei Xiu began to silently proceed to the main building, while trying to avoid being detected by the armed guards.

* * *

Outskirts of abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippine

"This is too easy."

Whispering to himself, Ronald sneaked up behind a guard armed with a Elisco M16A1 carbine moments after their MH-67 Pave Mare deposited him with Shinji and Tim several miles near the complex's eastern gate. Seeing that the guard had his back facing him, Ronald gestured to Tim and Shinji to take cover while he drew out his custom Philippine-made Balisong from its belt pouch and flipped it open carefully without alerting his target on his left hand.

But as Ronald dashed towards the guard, he saw that the guard was already turning around.

_T-ngina! _

Having no choice, Ronald zipped up his Armored Muscle Suit's collar to help with his running speed. Bringing up his Balisong's Weehawk blade, the guard's throat was instantly slashed. As the first guard dropped dead, another tried to rush as Ronald while using his Elisco M16A1's rifle butt as a club. Sidestepping to his left, Ronald performed a knee attack on the second guard before stabbing him twice on his chest after covering his mouth to muffle his screams.

Unknown to him, a third one had his M16A1 rifle aimed at the rear of the Whispered SRT. But before he can pull the trigger, Shinji had sneaked up behind him and fired his Vektor Z88 outfitted with a silencer.

"Wha..." Ronald turned around to see Shinji unscrewing the silencer from the Z88 after the guard dropped on his knees before his body went limp on the ground. He caught a glimpse of Tim doing a neck breaker attack on the lone guard inside the dilapidated guardhouse.

"Should have watched your back." Shinji grinned under his balaclava. His remark, however, earned a glare from his SRT teammate.

* * *

"Looks like the outer perimeter's clear." McAllen said, noted that the AS units guarding the complex were mostly antiquated Rk-91s and M4s.

**"Captain!"** Kurz's voice came up on his radio. **"Area's all clear!"** A moment ago, McAllen remembered seeing Kurz snipe down most of the AS units that were not being directly attacked by McAllen or by Ronald's Falke, which was being controlled on its own.

**"Just make sure that the area's clear, Uruz 9! Uruz 1 out!" **

McAllen then had his ECS unit activated before Kurz 's M9E and the Falke had their ECS units activated. The three Arm Slaves made their way towards the complex while being under ECS cover.

* * *

In complex grounds, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"What was that?" Tim whispered. Taking the lead of the 3-man team, the Irish SRT operator had aimed at the entrance of the first warehouse with his M-30SAS shotgun.

"Just my AS." shrugged Ronald, gripping his VB-SR's foregrip and pistol grip tightly. _Course I can't tell you that thanks to me being a Whispered, I was able to create an AI program that made the Falke independent on terms on combat._

"Wonder if anyone's controlling it?" Shinji eyed their rear with his FAMAS G2 Commando. "But that's not our main concern right now."

"Better get inside. I'll check." The three SRT operators gathered towards the left side of the warehouse and gathered around a single door, its vicinity unguarded. Ronald took out a fiber optic snake cam underneath the door. After peering at the snake cam's eye piece, Ronald stared at Tim through his balaclava and nodded a bit.

"The area's guarded." Tim leaned on the door's left side, back against the wall. On the right, Ronald had already leaned on the wall with Shinji crouched next to him. "Damn!" Tim whispered in frustration. "Must've been alerted from the sounds outside."

"We better get some advise from the top honcho." Shinji voiced his concern to Tim.

"Right. I'll get to it." Tim spoke on his headset unit. **"Uruz 2. It's Uruz 14. Do we have permission to be weapons free? We've spotted lots of tangos in the first warehouse."**

**"Weapons free, Uruz 14."** Melissa replied. **"I've been able to subdue only a few stationary guards, which is unusual. Probably heard the gunfire from the outskirts."**

"Might encounter some trouble." Ronald suggested. Moments later, he eyed Melissa leading other SRT/PRT operators towards the rear section of the first warehouse.

**"Are you in position?"** Ronald heard Melissa's voice on his headset.

**"Roger, Uruz 2."** replied Ronald, making sure that his voice is not recognizable to his cousin without exposing his identity. **"Waiting for the signal."**

**"Standby."** Tim had his left index finger against the M-30SAS's trigger. **"Standby."** Ronald inhaled and exhaled with his VB-SR aimed on the floor. **"Standby."** Shinji closed his eyes for a brief second before he gripped his FAMAS G2 Commando.

**"Go!"**

In unison, Tim aimed the M-30SAS at the door hinges, which destroyed the top and bottom before Shinji went in front of the door and kicked it down. Ronald grabbed an M84 flashbang and threw it inside before it exploded, disorienting most of the people inside.

"They're stunned!" Ronald was the first to enter the warehouse. "Move!" Aiming the mounted EOTech Model 550 AA mounted on his VB-SR, Ronald went inside with guns blazing followed by Shinji with the Aimpoint Comp ML red dot sight on his FAMAS G2 Commando.

The complex was then filled with the rising sound of automatic gunfire.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha de Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

Tessa, with Mardukas and Kalinin, studied the data on the on-screen tactical map that was projected by Dana, TDD-1's AI. Tessa saw markers indicating McAllen as Uruz 1, Kurz as Uruz 9 and the Falke as Uruz 11, though the TDD-1 commander knew that it was moving on its own as she had heard from Nora that an autonomous AI program was installed on the Falke in order for it to function independently.

Aside from the markers that indicated their AS units, three markers were constantly moving around the complex itself. In the briefing provided to Tessa by Kalinin, TEAM ALPHA belonged to Melissa's unit with TEAM BRAVO headed by a recently promoted Sergeant Jenner with TEAM CHARLIE headed by Tim. With the problem that he and Ronald were Staff Sergeants, the decision was made that Tim would lead TEAM CHARLIE since he had more experience with missions conducted with TDD-1 support.

"It looks like they're not encountering much resistance, captain." Kalinin commented, studying the moments of the SRT/PRT teams on foot with their AS units maintaining watch for any enemy AS units in the area.

"You're right." Tessa nodded. "But I have a feeling that an outside force may influence the success of our mission."

"While that's true," Kalinin replied. "let's hope that it's not of a big factor that it would bring our hard work back to square one."

Chapter 6 END

PS - Got chapter title from Gundam SEED Destiny. So go figure on that. Oh yeah, I'm using the headset as MITHRIL has used them in TSR. Also, I hope you peeps liked the Ronald/Tessa/Nora tension; I just love Nora and her long hair covering her left eye is so sexy in TSR. Yiii!

I plan to do a gaiden (Side story for those not familiar with Japanese terms) on Sousuke, Kurz, Shinji and the other OCs (and some other character from FMP Fumoffu who I haven't introduced yet, it's a surprise) on their experience in Zanzibar Land before and after the 1997 Zanzibar Land Independence War prior to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. I'll probably put it in either the FMP or crossover category since I'll add characters from other media. Heck, if you want to make suggestions on this, then feel free to do so. This probably won't happen yet since I need to think about the story and how the plot would go.

This could be the last chapter for now since I'll have to start prepping up for my final exams in the next few weeks. Wish me luck! Thankfully, all papers are done...

If you peeps can guess the Jenner reference, you get karma points from me...


	7. Unseen Pain

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke could've come up with a way that wouldn't give him a hard time since he got Kaname involved with the Takuma situation. I found that a bit lame IMO since Kaname could've walked away without getting into trouble.

Summary:

MITHRIL has launched a covert operation to capture Leung Kai Fei, a known associate of Gauron and an arms dealer, for his links with the abduction of Kaname and her class to North Korea. Unknown to Tessa or the rest of the participating SRT/PRT forces, two mysterious teens have covertly infiltrated the target facility with an unknown object. Who is their main target? Will the rest of the SRT/PRT units get to Leung on time? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 7: Unseen Pain

Somewhere in the main floor, Warehouse 1, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Kalaban!" One of the armed guards fired a Norinco M14 assault rifle at the intruding enemy from behind an abandoned Nissan Frontier pickup truck. Minutes ago, Ronald and Shinji fired their scoped rifles at three other men, all armed with Elisco M16A1 rifles. Though the M14-armed man was firing at the SRT/PRT forces, Melissa's unit had been working on going up the second floor of the warehouse with Tim and the others clearing the first floor of all enemies after the two teams had opened fire on most of the guard inside, all out in the open without using any source of protection.

"Puta!" With another guard covering him with his Norinco Type 56 assault rifle, the guard armed with the Norinco M14 hastily unloaded its empty 20-round magazine and ducked behind the Frontier's engine block. Before the guard slapped a fresh 20-round magazine, he heard a thumping sound from behind.

"Ano yun?" When the guard turned around, he saw that Shinji had fired his FAMAS G2 Commando on the Type 56-wielding guard. "Lintek!" The guard has been almost done loading his M14 when Tim fired his M-30SAS on the guard's chest from a short distance at his right side, the buckshots of the 12 gauge shell dispersing to penetrate the chest, parts of his legs and arms.

Another bumping sound was heard from Tim's rear, making the Irish SRT operator turn around. He saw Ronald had pierced the last guard, armed with an Elisco M16A1 carbine, on his stomach before twisting it a bit to inflict maximum pain on him before he quickly drew the Balisong's bloodstained Weehawk blade and made a horizontal slash on his throat. The slash attack instantly killed the guard as he collapsed on the ground with blood pouring out on his slashed throat.

* * *

Somewhere in the second floor, Warehouse 1, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Move your asses!"

Melissa, crouched near the top flight of stairs, had worn the assault glasses on her headset and switched on thermal mode. The MITHRIL-made custom headset allowed its wearer to switch between normal, night vision and thermal when the situation requirements change. Right now, the Alpha Team commander motioned her subordinates to take cover in one of the rooms in the second floor while she would lay down suppressive fire with her Fabrique Nationale P90 submachine gun after seeking out the guard's thermal signature on her glasses. In the midst of conducting suppressive fire, she had been able to gun down a small number of armed guards, all armed with Colt M16A1 rifles.

"Sergeant major!" One of her subordinates had called for her, a blond man in his 20s. Seeing that he was firing his FN P90, Melissa dashed inside one of the side rooms.

"How are things with the others, Tony?" Melissa asked, trying to catch her breath from running around the warehouse when she asked her PRT colleague.

"So far, so good." Tony moved inside the room as automatic gunfire became a bit more aggressive against him. "The others were able to get to the other room." Tony used his right thumb to point out the other side room that was there via a connecting door. Melissa saw that Lian Shaopin and Roger Sandraptor were in the other room. From the data that Melissa was given prior to the mission, Lian was a PRT operator with the rank of Private and Roger was a SRT operator with the rank of Sergeant. With the former using a Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine gun and the latter with a HK UMP submachine gun, the two men were busy countering the gunfire on the second floor by firing on the armed men outside.

"Grenade!" Melissa yelled, with her right hand used to toss a live M67 fragmentation grenade on a group of armed guards congregated near some crates after she grabbed one from her tactical vest. When the live grenade landed near their feet, the weapon exploded with a deafening sound that followed by sounds and the shrieks of the guards being torn apart by shrapnel.

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"I don't believe this." Leung stared out the window from his office to see another MITHRIL team emerging from the second warehouse, moments after clearing it of armed guards stationed inside. "Gauron was right. Those so-called MITHRIL punks are here to get me." Moving towards a table in front of the window, he grabbed a Beretta 8000 Cougar pistol and pulled its slide back. "I won't let them take me alive."

"Sir!" Five guards came inside the office, two armed with Colt M16A1 carbines, two with a IZHMASH AKS-47 and one with an IMI Galil SAR rifle.

"What is it?" Leung had gripped his pistol tightly, his right index finger poised over the trigger.

"We have to leave now." The guard with the Galil SAR said in his Tagalog-accented English. "It's too dangerous to stay here."

Suddenly, gunfire was heard from outside the office. The five guards suddenly became a bit tense with the gunfire growing louder and louder in the corridor. Within a few minutes, all was quiet. Way too quiet.

"Akong bahala." One of the Colt M16A1 carbine-armed guards went to peek outside to see what was going on outside the office. His action was soon rewarded with a whizzing sound that preceded the movement of a sharp blade that made a slash wound on his throat.

"Hoy!" The guard armed with the Galil SAR fired the rifle as soon as the guard outside went down with his neck slashed after Fei Xiu and Xia Yu Lan were inside, armed to the teeth and ready to fight.

Leung was astonished to see who killed the first guard. _If I'm not mistaken, those two teenagers were raised by Gauron personally as assassins._

Fei Xiu and Yu Lan, armed with a push dagger on his right hand for the former and a machete for the latter, began to eliminate the opposition inside the office in order to reach their main target. Fei grabbed the barrel of the Galil SAR and pushed it away from his face before he plunged the push dagger onto his chest four times.

Yu Lan swinged her machete and hacked the left hand of a guard who was about to fire his AKS-47 before she slashed him on his chest twice. Fei tackled another guard, who was about to aim his Colt M16A1 carbine at him, down like a North American football player had been tackled for having the American football in his arms. Raising his right arm, Fei drove the blade of his push dagger deep down the pinned guard's throat. Yu Lan kicked the second AKS-47-wielding guard on his chest, forcing him to topple back first onto the wall before Yu Lan drove her machete's blade into his chest before it pierced his back all the way to the concrete wall with strong force.

"Nihao." Fei stood up from the ground, removing the push dagger's blade from the downed guard's throat before the frightened man who still had his 8000 Cougar gripped on his right hand. "Yu Lan and I have some things to talk about with you."

* * *

Outside Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"What the hell was that?" Roger heard automatic gunfire and people screaming from the building's 5th floor.

"It seemed that the mission's about to change." Lian commented. He saw Tim, Ronald and Shinji running towards the entrance of the main building. Minutes later, Melissa and Tony met up with 4 more MITHRIL SRT/PRT personnel that made up Bravo Team.

"Sergeant Jenner." Melissa greeted. "How are things in Warehouse 2?"

"The Chris Jenner of Delta Force?" whispered Shinji. "I'm surprised to see a woman from that outfit." The Japanese SRT operator saw that in Jenner's team was Yang Jun-Kyu, an SRT operator of South Korean origin with the rank of Corporal. Two PRT operators were attached to team; one was Allen Ishiba, an ex-Delta Force soldier of Japanese-American heritage with the rank of Sergeant. Another was a man whose name is Wu, who had the rank of Private. Studying his face, Shinji deduced that he was of Chinese origin, though he's not sure if he's from the North or South.

"Nothing much." The brown-haired ponytailed woman shook her head. "Target's not in the building." More sporadic automatic gunfire was heard before it died down again.

"What the hell's happening up there?" muttered Yang, confused about the situation inside the main building.

"Best thing we need to go is to get in there and ask them ourselves." Wu replied. Yang raised an eyebrow at his colleague, thinking that he was trying to be sarcastic.

"Stack up on the door." Melissa gave the order. She and her team had been positioned on the left door with Tim and the others taking the right as it was necessary for him to breach it via shotgun blast on the hinges. Chris had positioned her team beside Melissa's, providing rear security.

"It's dark on this floor." Ronald said. "Probably on the other floors too."

"Get your glasses on." Melissa ordered, wearing hers after she lowered her assault glasses on top of her head before she tapped her headset's mic. **"And set them to night vision mode."**

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"What do you want?" Leung raised his right arm to fire his 8000 Cougar pistol. Fei Xiu dashed to his side and elbowed him after he disarmed the man of his sidearm by painfully twisting the right arm and snapped it, earning screams of pain from his victim.

"It would have been best for you if you were back in Central instead of being here." Yu Lan kicked the discarded 8000 Cougar away from Leung.

_S-it! So they knew I was back in Hong Kong before coming here? I should've stayed there for good._ The Hong Kong native was beginning to panic, seeing that his options to survive had been eliminated.

"Besides," Fei Xiu cracked his knuckles after putting away his push dagger. "now that you're here right now, it may be easier for us to settle things."

"W-what things?" Leung asked. Yu Lan was a few feet near the arms dealer before she knelt on the floor in front of him.

"Very well," The Chinese girl had replied. "we'll tell you why we're here..."

* * *

Outside Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Go! Go!" Melissa yelled, hearing Leung's painful screams. At her command, Tim aimed the M-30SAS's barrel on the top hinge and blasted it with a single 12 gauge shell before he brought it to the bottom hinge and shot it off.

Roger moved it and kicked the door down as soon as the hinges were taken out before Lian had quickly tossed in an M84 flashbang. An explosion was heard after the M84 was tossed in.

"Breaching! Breaching!" Tim was the first to go inside the building's abandoned lobby, aiming the Aimpoint 3000 scope with 30mm scope rings mounted on the M-30SAS's custom Picatinny rail in the vicinity. The other SRT/PRT operators followed close by and fired their weapons at the stunned guards.

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Looks like gunfire's getting loud." Fei Xiu commented, noticing how the gunfire from the lower floors were slowly increasing by the minute.

"Oh well." Yu Lan gripped her machete's handle on her right hand tightly. "We need to finish our last job."

"Wait, wait!." Eyeing the discarded 8000 Cougar pistol on his left side, Leung tried to reach for it. "We can talk this over. I insist!"

Yu Lan, on the other hand, was quick to resolve the situation by swinging her right arm. The machete's blade made short work of Leung's left hand, which had gripped the 8000 Cougar's pistol grip.

"AAAAGGGHH!" Leung screamed even more. Now that his left hand was sliced off his arm and his right arm broken, the crippled arms dealer cringed in pain with Yu Lan pointing the machete's blood-soaked blade at Leung's face.

* * *

Somewhere in the 2nd Floor, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Tangos down!" Ronald called out his kill after firing his VB-SR carbine at two guards with Norinco Type 56 assault rifles in a small room, seeing that the occupants were still stunned by the sudden blackout. Gesturing to other friendly SRT/PRT units that his area was clear, Shinji and Tim began to storm the room in search for other armed guards or items that had potential intelligence value. _Must've been sabotaged..._

"Errahhh!" One of the wounded guards, grazed in the right arm and left leg, charged at Ronald with a pair of scissors. The masked SRT operator immediately countered by drawing out his Balisong. Punching him in the face and stomach, Ronald performed a horizontal slash on his throat with the Balisong held downward, which killed the scissor-armed guard.

"Damn, we didn't see that coming." Tim commented, seeing the guard go down while holding his slashed throat.

"Room's clear." Shinji yelled out. "Nothing much in here except weapons..."

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"What? That can't be correct."

Leung was dumbfounded when he was told by Yu Lan that he was to be killed in order to cover up his tracks from what had occurred in North Korea.

"I'm afraid that's correct." Fei Xiu lightly nodded. "Gauron-lǎoshī wants to make sure no ones get to him."

"And that," Yu Lan prepared her machete for another attack. "is when you'll be going down." As a last sign, Fei Xiu outstretched his right thumb before he pointed it down on the floor in a thumbs down position.

* * *

Somewhere in the 4th Floor, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Damn!" Lian went to duck behind the dusty reception desk with Roger, Melissa and Tony after seeing armed gunmen from around the corridor after her team had accompanied Chris' team while Tim's team stayed behind a bit to cover their approach on the 4th floor via fire escape in order to surprise the enemies in the 4th and 5th floors. "We've been boxed in!"

"I noticed that!" Melissa yelled to make herself heard as the gunfire became louder and louder. "Don't just hang around there! Get some suppressive fire out there!" The SRT's 2nd commanding officer yelled again when she saw that her subordinates were not fighting back against the enemy. _Seems they decided to fire at our location since they can't see._

"Understood, ma'am!" Roger and Tony fired their weapons in an effort to pin down the enemy forces.

"Incoming!" Lian took out an M68 fragmentation grenade, pulled its safety pin off and tossed it towards the corridor on the left of the dilapidated elevators. When the live M68 landed, it exploded in an orange ball of fire that killed some of the guards.

"Sergeant Major!" Chris' squad came from another corridor near the reception desk and fired on the remaining guards that staggered from the smoke. Yang and Wu had fired their FN P90s on the remaining guards that survived the grenade blast; Allen had aimed his Bushmaster M4A3 Type carbine with its mounted EOTech Model 510 holo sight to cover the two PRT operators after initial firing on the surviving guards. Chris knelt next to Melissa and placed her Heckler and Koch G36K on her lap while being supported by its rifle sling.

"I'm glad you guys came." Melissa said, greeting the female sergeant.

"Same here." replied Chris. "Did you guys had any trouble before we arrived?"

"We're fine." Lian, Roger and Tony replied in unison. Their answer somehow made Chris a bit uneasy, as indicated with her raised right eyebrow.

"Come on." Melissa stood up. "Let's search the area." She began to relay her orders. "Chris, take the others to search the offices in this floor." Melissa turned to face her subordinates after Chris motioned to her colleagues to come with her. "Tony, Lian. You two stay here to cover our rear. Roger, come with me. We're going to search the conference rooms that we saw in the directory."

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Goodness." Fei Xiu peered outside to hear more sounds of automatic gunfire coming from the direction of the fire escape. "I hear more gunfire downstairs."

Leung began to piss on his pants when he heard Fei said, "Yu Lan, finish him off. We need to get out of here before those armed boys and girls come up here and find us here with that cripple."

Yu Lan stared at her target coldly, now moving her machete back at arm's length. "I understand."

* * *

Office, 4th Floor, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

As soon as Chris and her teammates barged into an abandoned office, she fired her G36K with Allen and Yang, the former with his Bushmaster M4A3 and the latter with his P90, at four guards. Since they were not accustomed to the dark yet after the lights were sabotaged, the SRT/PRT team had an advantage due to their night vision glasses on their headsets.

"All clear!" Wu called out after seeing that the tangos were already dead after being shot by gunfire.

**"Uruz 2."** Chris radioed Melissa. **"This is Uruz 15. Office next to reception area is cleared. Tangos down, no sign of target. Over.**"

* * *

Cafeteria, 4th Floor, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

Melissa and Roger had engaged a small group of at least 6 tangos when Chris' radio message came through. "Damn." hissed the Chinese American, firing her P90 at 3 of the armed men with IZHMASH AKM rifles, who were firing at their direction after barging in the dark cafeteria. "At a time like this." She eventually killed them when she fired her submachine gun from left to right, shooting them in the chest.

"Gotcha." Roger grinned after gunning a tango down in the chest, armed with a IMI Uzi submachine gun. Ducking down to use a cafeteria long table, Roger had his P90 poked out by using his right hand to do blind shooting. He was lucky to hear a groan or two before a thumping sound was heard, meaning that he was able to shoot down the other two guards.

**"Uruz 2 here."** Melissa replied to Chris' radio message after dashing to Roger's position. **"Target is not on this floor. I repeat, the target's not on this floor. Over."**

An ear-splitting scream was all it took to convince Melissa and Chris that their target is now in mortal danger.

* * *

Office, 5th Floor, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Just what we need."

Ronald muttered a complaint when he, Shinji and Tim were now running towards the sound of Leung screaming in the direction of the office that he was hiding in.

"Looks like someone's attacking the target." Tim murmured. "Hope we can get there in time."

"Head's up!" Shinji shouted, pointing out an arm that was exposed a bit in the corridor from the doorway leading to the office.

Tim motioned to the newly arrived SRT recruits towards the door. "Aright mates. Let's stack it up." He then counted one to three with his gloved right fingers, indicating the timing that the three SRT operators needed to move in unison. When the third finger went up, which was his right middle finger, the three members of Team Charlie rushed inside the barely lit room in unison. They aimed the barrels of their weapons around to search for armed tangos.

"This is new." Tim whistled, lowering the barrel of his M-30SAS shotgun to see the dead guards, mostly killed with machete blade slices or the push dagger blade punctures on their necks.

"Take a look here." Shinji knelt next to the slumped Leung Kai Fei, underneath an open window. Placing his left index and middle finger on the pulse point in his neck, the masked SRT operator gave the grim news to his comrades.

"Afraid he's dead." Shinji spoke up. "We can't bring him in alive."

"You're right." Ronald knelt next to Shinji, examining his body for wounds. "Looks like he's been stabbed in the chest, particularly aimed in the area where the heart is. His killer must be a professional if they wanted him to be really, really quiet."

**"Hey!"** Ronald pressed his left earpiece close to his ear when he heard an incoming radio transmission. **"We got incoming!"**

* * *

Outskirts of abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Take this!" Kurz snarled, using the mounted scope of his Bofors ASG96-b smoothbore cannon.

**"Uruz 1!"** Ronald's voice was heard on Kurz's cockpit radio. **"Can you identify the enemy AS units in the vicinty, over?"**

**"Negative!"** replied McAllen, with the sounds of gunfire from his M9E unit, armed with a Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B assault rifle. **"But I can some Rk-91s and old American-made M4s. Over."**

_Damn!_ Kurz thought, keeping fire with McAllen's M9E and Ronald's Falke, which unknown to either the Arm Slave pilots in unmanned. _Must've came by when someone radioed for help._

**"Anna!"** Ronald communicated with his Falke's AI. **"Do Plan A! Uruz 1 and 6 need all the help they can get!"**

**"Understood!" **

In response to Ronald's command, the Falke drew out the Mauser MGK rifle from its back and had the solid stock unfolded, a modification placed by Ronald to the TDD-1 maintenance crew. It fired several 50 mm grenades from its underbarrel grenade launcher before it rapidly expended the rifle's clip by shooting from left to right in rapid bursts. When it was done, the Falke replaced the MGK as its back before charging at the surviving M4s with its Crimson Edge cutter.

"I don't believe it." McAllen whispered as he watched the Falke made short work of the renegade M4 Arm Slaves by cutting its legs and stabbing it when it was down, slicing its waist into two or making various flips before the Falke stabbed the M4 cockpits.

The Falke, after disposing of most of the M4s, made a series of flips before landing in front of Kurz and McAllen's M9E units, slipping its Dark Edge back into its sheath before the M4s that were sliced or stabbed were destroyed in an explosion.

"Err..." Kurz felt a sweatdrop on his left temple. "Why does this remind of the Sentai guys when they finish a Kaiju of the week?"

* * *

Rooftop, Main building, abandoned complex, Bagac, Bataan, Philippines

"Our ride has arrived."

Fei Xiu and Yu Lan had waited for the past 5 minutes when a Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter arrived with some armed men inside.

"Get inside!" yelled the pilot. The two teenaged assassins wasted no time when they boarded the UH-60L's cabin before Tim and the others had stormed the rooftop, in time to see the chopper depart.

"Crap! They're airborne!" Ronald pointed his VB-SR rifle at the airborne chopper. Shinji too joined in and pointed his FAMAS G2 Commando at the chopper as well.

* * *

Cabin, Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk, above Main building

"S-it!" cursed the pilot, seeing that the two masked SRT operators were firing their carbines at the chopper. "We need to distract them 'til we can get fully airborne from this place!"

"I'll take care of that." Fei Xiu was given a Barrett M95 anti-armor sniper rifle by one of the armed men in the UH-60L's cabin. "Perfect. This should do the job for me." The Chinese-born assassin grinned as he chambered a .50 BMG by pulling the bolt back before placing its stock on his right shoulder.

"Here we go." Aiming at Ronald's chest, Fei Xiu slowly exhaled his breath and held the rifle's foregrip tightly before he pulled the trigger.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha de Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

Tessa was shocked in her commander's chair when she saw on the tactical screen that a member in Team Charlie had been shot.

**"This is Ansuz."** Tessa spoke on the communication officer's headset after she quickly walked over to her station. **"I've received word that a Team Charlie had been shot. Can anyone confirm that?"** Silence was on the air, lingering around for a minute before she got a reply back.

**"Uruz 13 here."** Shinji's reply came in. **"It's Uruz 11. He's been shot by an anti-armor bullet."**

Tessa swallowed her saliva upon hearing the news. _Please, please. Please let him live. _Frantic shouting was soon heard on the encrypted radio channel.

**"This is Uruz 9."** Yang's voice came on the channel. **"Uruz 11's okay. Bullet didn't penetrate his chest."**

**"What the hell?"** Melissa's voice came after Yang's. **"It's either I'm dreaming or that jumpsuit of his was able to deflect a .50 BMG round? That thing could kill anybody..."**

"Commander Kalinin." Tessa spoke to Kalinin, standing next to her and listening to the radio transmissions. "Get the helicopters out there at once. It seems that an outside force had complicated their mission."

Kalinin nodded and saluted, "Understood, Captain. I'll get them ready at once."

* * *

Cabin, Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare, en route to Tuatha de Danaan-1

"You're alright?" Shinji asked Ronald, who had his head leaned on the cabin wall after boarding the MH-67 chopper with his teammates and the Falke inside its cabin.

"Yeah." Ronald removed his balaclava and rubbed his eye. "Worse mission I ever had in my life."

"So what'd you think it was?" Tim asked, stretching his arms. "I mean, how could've the punks killed the target if our briefing was top secret."

Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure. Unless...

* * *

"the intel was leaked out."

Allen stared at Chris, who was checking her G36K, from his seat adjacent to hers. Wu and Yang were busy checking their P90s to see if the submachine guns were still functioning.

"I'm serious, Allen." Chris stared at her SRT teammate. "This was the only way that it could have happened."

The Japanese-American SRT operator sighed after hearing Chris' thoughts.

"I guess we'll have to worry about that later when its true during the debriefing session back in TDD-1."

Chris nodded. "That's true." She sighed and stared at the cabin window, watching the evening sky. "That's true, indeed."

* * *

Cafe TOO, Island Shangri-La Hotel, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, South China

**"Thanks a lot, Fei Xiu. Tell Yu Lan that I'm extremely pleased with her performance as well in the Bataan operation. Yes, I'll call you two again when you get back to Hong Kong. Okay, bye."**

Gauron, wearing a black business suit with red tie, was eating alone in a table of Cafe TOO, one of Island Shangri-La's well-known restaurants. His meal had been interrupted by a call on his cellphone. Gauron began to redial a set of numbers on his cellphone and placed it near his right ear before he heard a dial tone.

**"Hey, it's me." **Gauron spoke to the caller on the other line.** "Just want to tell you that it was a success. Listen, see if you can get me in touch with the ARGUS Corporation ASAP. I need to do business with them."**

Gauron chuckled when he heard a response.** "Of course. This is a big test for our friends in MITHRIL. Yes, I'll be sure to send them your regards, Mr. Kalium. Let me know how things are later on." **

_Now that business with Gates is done, I'll just need to make one more call before I get more food. _Dialing another series of numbers on his cellphone, Gauron waited a bit for the dial tone before hearing a female voice answer it via activated speaker on his cellphone.

**"Hello?"** Gauron grinned after placing his cellphone near his right ear again. **"Thanks for answering my call. As I hoped, the information provided by you and your cousin was worth it. Yes, please inform him that he'll be paid in a day."**

Gauron listened in on the caller for around 5 minutes before he gave a reply, "No need to worry about it. I'll make sure that our tracks are covered."

**"After all, Ms. Jenny Bruno."** Gauron gave out his wicked grin. **"What would it be without you and your cousin, Vincent, helping us out here in the long run? Thanks to you two, my plan's going accordingly."

* * *

** The headquarters of High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, based in Camp San Luis Obispo in the State of California, had a modern look in its exterior and interior in terms of building standards. One would know if they had entered FOXHOUND HQ by its emblem, symbolized by a fox holding a combat knife in its mouth, on top of the reception area. Most of its personnel are FOXHOUND-trained soldiers from various nations, while being under the control of the United States Special Operations Command.

Its members are given free reign in handling a situation that the US military would want to resolve, but without getting them involved. Some soldiers in the US military have had resentment against the unit, citing special treatment in terms of arms and equipment that they can use and the methods that they can use to accomplish a mission. Despite this notion, the Joint Chiefs of Staff still has a final say on what FOXHOUND must and must not do.

But this evening, FOXHOUND commander Liquid Snake had been summoned to the HQ's briefing room for another event is about to take place.

* * *

Outside Briefing Room, FOXHOUND Headquarters, Camp San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States of America

"Liquid!" Viper waited for Liquid to show up. When he arrived, the British CO had been panting for breath, which was a sign that he had been running the moment the building's PA system called up his name.

"So what's the emergency?" Liquid asked, fixing his brown trenchcoat.

"We've received word." Viper handed him a brown folder. "Our next mission's in there."

"What about it?"

"It's A21."

Chapter 7 END

PS - I got Ronald's Balisong knife moves based from Altaïr Ibn La-Ahad's use of his knife in Assassin's Creed, a game that I've played recently. I used his knife attacks in the story as a homage to Altaïr. He's just so badass!

Chapter title reference is from Pumpkin Scissors. Thought it made sense here since the MITHRIL boys/girls weren't able to secure their target in time.

Got the reference to Metal Gear? I hope so, they'll play a role in the next few chapters. Also, did you get another reference in here? It's from a Tom Clancy series. Clue is that the organization is from the multiplayer component of this particular game. I also added a character from the Sigma manga. Bruno is a female in this case, but I don't think she was given a first name. I just made one up.

That's it for now. No updates for a while until next week to attend to exams.


	8. Covert Operations

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Mao wouldn't have had her M9E crushed by that giant Behemoth (which I have to admit, is pretty big and awesome for an AS) and Kaname wouldn't bungle herself by struggling with an armed tango.

Summary:

With the operation in the Philippines over for now, questions still linger as to how intelligence was leaked since Leung Kai Fei had been murdered in his Bataan hideout by Xia Yu Lan and Fei Xiu before the joint SRT/PRT teams were able to secure him to safety. With the still unknown clue if MITHRIL Intelligence had been penetrated by a double agent, all that the SRT and PRT personnel can do is to wait for the meantime. What will happen next for our heroes? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 8: Covert Operations

Class 2-4 Classroom, Second Floor, Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Everyone, I have another classmate to introduce to you!"

Eri Kagurazaka, back in her 2-4 Class, addressed the students inside as a boy with black hair and a smooth-looking face. He was standing next to Ms. Kagurazaka when she motioned him to introduce himself.

"My name's Ronald Chua and I'm from the Philippines." Ronald bowed a bit before standing upright. "I'm 16 years of age and I'm of Chinese-Japanese heritage actually, so my Japanese should be okay."

"Is there anything else you'd like to add?" Ms. Kagurazaka added the new student.

Ronald shook his head, "None right now, Kagurazaka-sensei."

"Thank you, Mr. Chua." Ms. Kagurazaka pointed out Ronald's seat. "You can take the seat behind him." said the teacher, referring to Shinji's place.

Kaname, however, eyed the new arrival with much suspicion. _I don't know. First, Sousuke doesn't show up and then, this Philippine national of Chinese and Japanese heritage shows up in our class..._

"Hey Kaname." Kyoko whispered to her from behind. "Are you okay?"

Kaname shook her head and replied to her friend. "Don't worry about me." insisted the class president. "I'll be fine."

* * *

Somewhere near Baseball Field, Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Man I sure do enjoy playing soccer." grinned Ronald, wearing his white shirt and dark blue shorts as it was the Jindai High uniform for any PE subject. He was busy moving the locked cart containing the equipment for soccer, mostly soccer balls.

"Yep." grinned Shinji. "Haven't had this much fun since that time we tried doing it in Zanzibar with the discarded outer shell of the Savage before we realized that it wasn't useful." He then scratched his chin, "I forgot what it is though." Shinji then asked, "But more importantly, why are you here? Did the Captain authorized your transfer to work with me in conducting surveillance work on Kaname?"

Ronald nodded. "I see."

Suddenly, the sounds of helicopter rotors were heard from the direction of the baseball field before it deposited a familiar figure down onto the field.

"What the?" Shinji was a bit taken with the person's arrival. "What the heck is he doing?" whispered Shinji, adjusting his glasses. "His cover's going to be blown."

On the other hand, Ronald only grinned when he saw Sousuke momentarily speaking to Kaname. "So that's his cover eh?" The Whispered SRT operator chuckled. "Quite an interesting legend he's got." His eyes were wide open when he saw Kaname threw something towards the back of Sousuke's head.

"Shinji! Incoming!" Ronald yelled, pointing out the projectile that was coming for Sousuke.

"SOUSUKE!" Shinji ran towards his classmate, reaching just in time to tackle him onto the ground before the concrete home plate struck Sousuke's head. The tackle forced Sousuke to drop his duffel bag. The tossed home plate found it way instead embedded on a nearby tree trunk, nearly cutting it down, due to the amount of strength that Kaname had exerted on the object.

Ronald was amazed at Shinji, who had risked his life to save Sousuke. "Whoa! Haven't seen him do those stunts since the Zanzibar War of Independence."

"Shinji!" Kyoko and some of the girls from 2-4 went to see if Shinji was injured from the home plate hurled by Kaname.

"Oh my god!" Kaname was the first to run up to Shinji, lying down on the ground with Sousuke next to him. Both teens were exhausted after one of them had nearly been hit by the hurled home plate. "Shinji!" Kaname lightly shook him by the shoulder, "Shinji! Are you all right?"

"Kaname." Shinji sat up, removing sooth from his PE uniform. "I understand that you may some problems dealing with Sousuke's personality and all that since his circumstances were... a bit different." Kaname felt a bit nervous with her female classmates listening in, trying to learn what Shinji was going to say. "But please, using violence as a way of solving whatever problem you have with Sousuke won't do anything. It'll just make things worse for the two of you and you guys won't be able to get along."

Ronald, Kaname, Sousuke and the other students nearly had their mouths left open, at a loss of what Shinji had said since he was a military otaku who didn't talk much about finding solutions to people's problems.

* * *

Class 2-4 Classroom, Second Floor, Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Finally lunch." Ronald stood up from his seat after the bell had rang, indicating that it was lunch break. "I'd like to see the food that Jindai has."

"Allow me." Shinji stood up as well. "I'm heading there as well."

"Where are you two going?" Kaname asked. _I don't know, I just can't seem to shake off this weird feeling._

"I'll be fine, Ms. President." Ronald insisted, waving his right hand vigorously. "This is my first time after all. Besides, I need to get something to eat."

Kaname grinned. "All right." She then turned to the spectacles-wearing student. "You know what to do since you're there."

Shinji nodded, "Got it."

Sousuke, however, watched Shinji and Ronald exit the classroom with some suspicion as well.

_This might be due to pressure from that last anti-A21 operation that we did, but why do I get the strange feeling that I know that Shinji and Ronald were fighting with me back in North Korea? _

* * *

A few kilometers away from the 2-4 classroom, Shinji's right pants pocket began to vibrate.

"Hold it." Taking the Nokia 7110 phone from his pocket, its screen had read that an incoming SMS message is coming in with the words **"PERTH 1"**.

"Something up?" Ronald raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Shinji nodded to his ex-Zanzibar Land mercenary comrade and now Jindai High classmate. "Perth-1 has something for us."

"Can we access the rooftop of this school?" Ronald whispered. "That's the only place where we can get the call without being discovered?"

"Yeah." Shinji chuckled. "Almost the majority of the students go there just to either cut class or to lie down and watch the other students have fun."

"Okay." Ronald shrugged. "Hope it's short." He then patted his stomach. "'Cause Mr. Stomach here's about to launch a coup if I don't feed it."

* * *

Rooftop, Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

**"This is Perth 1."** Kalinin's voice was heard on the speaker of Ronald's Nokia 8210, pressed near his left ear. **"I assume that you got my SMS message?"**

**"Yes, sir."** Ronald replied, leaning a bit back near the concrete that housed the stairs to the roof. While watching the other Jindai High students relaxing, the two students/SRT operators didn't bother to relax since they had received an important call from one of their commanding officers. **"Is there something important that Uruz 13 and I should about, Commander?"**

**"Nothing much, Uruz 11." **came the Soviet SRT/PRT commander. **"Ansuz wishes to convey some concern to prepare for any scenario. She's already in Japanese soil with Uruz 9 and Kaunan 10." **

_Kaunan 10? That would be Ishiba. _Ronald thought about the callsigns of the SRT and PRT operatives assigned to guard Kalinin and Tessa while she's in Japan. _And Yang's also here. She should be safe for now. But I don't know where Tessa is..._

**"Is there anything for us to do?" **Ronald asked Kalinin, being told by Shinji that it was 10 minutes since lunch break had started.

**"Just be on standby for now. I'd tell Uruz 7 about this, but that part's not needed since Angel is his priority. Your priority with Uruz 13 right now is to maintain covert backup and be ready for any operation in case Ansuz or I come under trouble. Is that clear?" **

**"Understood, Perth 1." **

"What was about?" Shinji asked while Ronald kept his 8210 cellphone in his left pants pocket.

"Nothing much." The two SRT operators walked towards the door of the roof. "Commander wants us to be on the ready in case we've got trouble. Apparently the captain's in Japan. Don't know why."

"I see." Opening and closing the door behind him, Shinji began to lead Ronald towards the direction of the cafeteria. "Come on. If we make it early, I'll show you the bread rolls that Jindai High makes."

"Thanks." replied Ronald. "Though I'm still worried about the operation last night since we're sure if someone leaked it out."

"Yeah." Shinji whispered. "You could be right." He then smiled. "But right now, let's worry about getting some lunch."

* * *

50 kilometers from covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

In the forests that surround a secret Defense Agency research center in away from the cities of the Yamanashi Prefecture, no one noticed that a group of heavily armed men armed from various kinds of AK and M-16-type assault rifles were lying in wait. Nearby, a woman in her middle '20s was seen standing near the armed group with a Heckler and Koch MP5K-PDW submachine gun, wearing her white and black Arm Slave pilot suit and helmet.

"Takaya." The woman addressed a man in his middle '20s, standing behind her. He was armed with a Pusan M-16A1 assault rifle slinged on his back. Like most of the men in the armed group, he wore dark blue BDUs with Altama Black Jungle boots on. "What did Ishida say about the transmitter planted on Takuma?"

The black-haired man replied to the woman. "He said just as it is Seina." insisted the man, tugging on his tactical vest. "The transmitter's signal dead ahead in the facility up ahead."

"Hmmm..." Seina stared the Defense Agency research center. "Seems to be that the JSDF is providing most of the facility's security."

"Seina." Ishida, a man in his early '30s, was armed with a North Korean-made Type 58A assault rifle. "Our friends are also ready to move in at your signal."

"Whare are they?" The brown-haired woman asked.

"Right here, miss."

Seina saw that a group of 12 individuals dressed up in SWAT-style tactical gear with black BDUs, balaclavas and PASGT helmets with ESS Profile Thermal goggles strapped on top. They were well-armed and equipped with Heckler and Koch UMP 45 submachine guns, Colt M4A1 carbines and Franchi SPAS-12 shotguns with various Beretta, Glock, Heckler and Koch, Ruger, SIG and Smith and Wesson pistols strapped on their leg holsters.

"We're with the ARGUS Corporation, ma'am." introduced one of the men armed with a Colt M4A1, slinged on his neck. He used his right hand to tip his PASGT helmet . "It seems that your benefactors have hired us to assist you A21 people in the operation."

"I've heard about you lot." Seina eyed the masked man carefully. "Seems that your bosses operate on both sides of the law and whatnot with allegations of covert assistance to various criminal and terrorist organizations."

The masked man shrugged his shoulders. "Not my place to interfere." He then chuckled under his balaclava. "It's just business after all."

Seina sighed. _Figures. Majority of PMCs are into that game after all... _

"However..." Another voice came from behind the heavily armed ARGUS men. "your benefactors have also called on us to help you as well."

Appearing from behind the armed A21 and ARGUS personnel came 9 more men, all armed and ready to the teeth with various weapons.

"If I remember," Seina said to the newly arrived men. "all of you served with Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land, with all of you in the latter's independence war."

"Of course." A British accent was heard. The man wore Oakley shades with a black BDU, Oakley Special Forces Assault boots and a tactical vest. He was only armed with a Fabrique Nationale M249 Para Light machine gun. "The name's Machine Gun Kid. Machine guns of all types are my specialty."

Seina winced at his introduction. _What the hell? That's the most corniest codename that I've heard. _Four men, all dressed in black BDUs, balaclavas and tactical gloves walked near Seina with one of them introducing themselves to her. They were armed with SIG SG-551 rifles with Brugger & Thomet Quad Rail Handguards and Aimpoint Comp M red dot sights, mounted on Aimpoint Quick Release Picatinny mounts.

"We're Ultra Box." said one of the masked men. Seina noted that he was speaking with a slight bit of German in his accent.

"You speak English quite well." Seina smirked.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or what." replied the man. "I've been raised from my youth 'til my teens in San Francisco, California." He then pointed out to two men with their backs leaned on a tree trunk, hands behinds their heads. They were also wearing American Woodland BDUs with green tactical vests. "Those two are known as Twin Shot. Notorious in Outer Heaven for their sniping synchronization."

_Twin snipers eh? Interesting. They could be useful for the assault. _Seina observed them both carefully, with one of them giving the two-finger salute to her.

An electrical-like sound hissed a few meters from Seina's right. The A21 leader was startled to see who it was when she turned her head to the right.

"Greetings." A male voice from the figure introduced himself, after slowly materializing from his stealth unit, wore a black balaclava with a light blue VDV beret. He had a lime green TTsKO BDU on with a 4-Celled chest pouch and an AK-74 bayonet on its sheath, strapped on his left leg. He was armed with an IZHMASH AKS-74 assault rifle. "The name's Night Sight. I'm an ex-PAVN soldier with training from the Soviet VDV prior to joining the Whispers. I eventually transitioned to the Vietnam People's Army and conducted special forces training for a while before I left."

"Whisper? You mean the North Vietnamese guerrilla-trained special forces unit?" Seina asked. Night Sight replied by nodding at her.

"Quit showing off, Night Sight." sneered a German-sounding voice from behind the former North Vietnamese army commando. He was only clad in a Nomex fireproof suit that covered his entire body, including his head and hands. The only thing that he had was a Brazilian Hydroar LC T1 M1 flamethrower, its backpack strapped on his shoulders.

"I..." The individual hefted the flamethrower by holding the weapon's pistol grip and foregrip on his gloved hands. "am Flame Trooper." Seina sighed even more when she heard of his name. "I am an expert in using flamethrowers against my adversaries."

_Right._ Seina simply didn't know whether she should laugh or feel sorry for the man. _I wonder if anyone else has some weird alias these days..._

"Hah!"

A figure landed from the tree branch just below the Twin Shot snipers. Clad in his maroon South African Special Forces Brigade beret, a 1959 Pattern Denison Smock and New Zealand DPM pants, the beret-clad individual smirked at Seina, surprised a bit by his entrance.

"I go by the name of Predator." introduced the man. "I'll be the backup later on when the facility raid gets underway."

"South African Special Forces?" Seina noted the man's maroon beret. "They say that your country's special forces is one of the best in the world in terms of guerrilla and anti-guerrilla warfare."

"Ah shucks." Predator felt a bit embarrassed by her words. "I'm just used to it."

Seina faced Night Sight and asked him. "Is that it?"

"Well," The ex-Whispers commando placed his fingerless gloved right hand on his chin and thought for a few seconds. "technically there should be one or two more people coming with their folks, but they're hampered by logistics in their Japanese branch. Other than that, we can start anytime your ready, Seina."

Seina nodded. "That sounds fine. We should start going over the plans again to be sure..."

* * *

Class 2-4 Classroom, Second Floor, Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"What was that?"

Startled by the flashing light that was seen in the entire Jindai High campus, Shinji left Ronald alone in the library to have a look around when he ran back to the 2-4 classroom and opened its door to see Sousuke on the floor, his hands covering his eyes. He could hear him saying that his eyes were hurt all over again.

"Uh..." Shinji began to ask. "Does anyone know what happened here after I left with the new student?"

"No need to worry Kaname." Kaname gave a wicked laugh. "I just had to take care of some things and straighten them out our dear old Sergeant here."

Shinji felt like a giant sweatdrop came out from his head. "Errr.. I'll forget that I ever asked. Thanks, Kaname." _Man, if she keeps up like that in the near future, she won't get a boyfriend._ Shinji went over to help Sousuke get up from the floor. _It's either me or a flash grenade was used on him. But if that's the case, then how did it happen?_

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Are you all right, captain?"

Kalinin, dressed in a brown business suit and red necktie, accompanied Tessa in the corridor after seeing Takuma Kugayama. The TDD-1 commanding officer was never shocked to see someone around her age acting violently before Defense Agency scientists subdued him with an armed JGSDF soldier apply a shot of tranquilizer on his neck via needleless vacuum-based syringe, rendering him out cold. The two commissioned officers were accompanied by Yang Jun-Kyu and Allen Ishiba, wearing black business suits and blue neckties with shoulder holsters hidden underneath their jackets.

"I've never been so shocked in my life to see him that reformed to operate an AS with a Lamba Driver." Tessa replied to her subordinate. She fixed her suit, consisting of a scarf, white blouse, dark blue jacket and skirt. "With that in mind, we'll have to perform the NILS test on him immediately." The ponytailed girl tugged a bit on her scarf, wrapped around her neck.

"Excuse me." said Tessa, heading to the direction of the female toilet. "I need to relieve myself."

"Understood." Kalinin nodded. He then faced Yang and Allen and gave out his instructions. "You two, keep an eye on her."

* * *

Unknown Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Man, haven't been to school like that since I worked my way to high school thanks to being a Whispered."

Exhausted, Ronald entered an apartment safehouse and went into his room. It merely looked like an ordinary male high school student room's with a bed, desktop with a PC monitor and CPU and a bookshelf on the side. "Yep. Never been that tired." Tossing his school bag on the bed, he reclined on the chair before he began to boot up the PC before he unhooked the collar of his Jindai High autumn uniform.

_Wonder if they're anything for me from TDD-1. Top of that, I wonder if Tessa's going to be fine. _

"Hi there."

Ronald began a bit alarmed when he heard a woman's voice from behind him. He began to open his desk drawer gently after her voice.

_If I'm not mistaken, that woman's... _

* * *

Arrivals Area, Terminal 2, New Tokyo International Airport, Narita, Japan

"Whoa." A brown-haired man whistled after arriving at New Tokyo Airport's Arrivals Area in Terminal 2. "Lot of airport cops around here." He had a brown windbreaker on with jeans.

"I heard it from Eve." A blonde-haired woman was walking next to him. She only had a black windbreaker with jeans on also. "Some sort of struggle happened at the airport's immigration area after someone arrived in the country. Took a lot of airport policemen to subdue him."

"Probably the reason why the honchos of SEA wanted us to be here." As the two arrived outside, the man's cellphone vibrated on the pouch on his belt. After arriving outside the arrivals area, the man took his Nokia 8210 and answered it.

**"Hello?"** The man answered the call.

**"I trust that the flight went well for you and Coyote, Falcon?"**

**"It's fine. I had worse days."**

**"Good. However, you don't have time to have a vacation in Japan."**

"Billy." The woman whispered to Billy. "There's a parked car in front of us." Billy nodded.

"Thanks, Sheila." Billy whispered back before he spoke on the phone. **"So the Nissan Cedric waiting in front of us is our ride?" **

**"Some of our agents in Japan had been so kind as to provide you transport. Is your baggage with you?"**

**"Yep. Only clothes though in our luggage, like you said."**

**"Head into the car and get to our SEA Japanese branch. Your equipment's already in the country as I took care of it yesterday."**

**"Thanks, Eve. Falcon out." **Ending his call, the driver of the 2001 Nissan Cedric got out of the car and opened the trunk before he offered his assistance to load Billy and Sheila's baggage into the auto before the two entered it.

"Ms. Eve has your things in HQ." said the driver in fluent English.

"That's fine." Sheila replied, in the backseat with Billy. "Just make sure that get to HQ as soon as possible."

"Understood, Ms. Sheila."

The Cedric drove away from New Tokyo Airport, heading towards the direction of downtown Tokyo.

* * *

Ronald's Quarters, Unknown Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"You."

Ronald had his New Nambu M-57A pistol aimed at the intruder. The intruder also had her sidearm, a Sig Sauer P229, at the ready.

"I don't think you'd be able to shoot me." smirked the intruder. Ronald noted that his intruder had a brown trenchcoat worn over a business suit, though he can't see it since the unbuttoned coat covered the suit completely.

"It's you, Wraith." Ronald hissed. "If I'm not mistaken, I take it that General Amit's responsible for your presence."

"How perceptive." Wraith lowered his P229. Ronald did the same.

"Why are you here anyway?" Ronald eyed his fellow MITHRIL comrade _carefully_. "Us guys in the TDD-1 have it covered here."

"It may seem to be." Wraith replied, playing a bit with her long black hair. "You're just going to get in our way, sooner or later."

_Damn! I'm tired. _"I'm tired, all right." Ronald sighed as he leaned back on his swiveling chair. "I may be angry with you and all for barging in without letting me know, but I can't toss you out since MITHRIL owns this safehouse."

"Isn't that nice?" Wraith smiled. However, Ronald looked at the North Korean MITHRIL Intelligence agent with a raised eyebrow and chuckled a bit.

"A ha ha ha ha..." _Why me? Why me?_

* * *

Barracks, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Situated on the right of the research facility, the 4-story building serves as the barracks of a contingent of JGSDF soldiers posted in here. Since Tessa had arrived in the area, only a few JGSDF soldiers are in the facility on break after their first shifts were over.

"Man, is that funny or what?" Two JGSDF soldiers on break were not in their combat gear, alone and having fun by themselves. As regulations had stated for off-duty work, the soldiers were to have their JGSDF Sakura berets tucked on their shoulder straps. They were alone alone watching television inside the barrack's break room, on the second floor. Quarters were located on the third and fourth floors with the armory in the first floor, so as to facilitate any quick mobilization in case the facility came under attack.

"Hey, did you see that..." One of the off-duty JGSDF soldiers saw one of the ARGUS mercenaries silently snapping the neck of his colleague, not being able to defend himself as he was taken by surprise.

"Why you..." As the other JGSDF soldier tried to charge at the ARGUS mercenary after he had killed the first soldier, he saw the face of a figure with a balaclava nearby. The figure dashed towards the soldier and stabbed his stomach. He twisted the combat knife before extracting it from the soldier's stomach and tossing him on the floor. The ARGUS mercenary had drawn out his silenced Sig Sauer P228 and shot him on the back of his head to ensure that he was dead for good.

A third JGSDF soldier, also unarmed, came down the stairs after hearing some noise. Being quick on the draw, the balaclava-clad figure drew out his silenced Beretta 92F and accurately shot him on his chest and head, killing him since he too was surprised by the presence of armed intruders. The soldier tumbled down the stairs before his corpse came to rest on the floor.

"Beautiful." chuckled the Ultra Box assassin, having a Scottish accent. _Looks like we got them all. _He then got on his radio, **"Aright. 1st and 2nd floors are clear. The lone soldier by the reception area wasn't a challenge when I had to use my silenced Beretta 92F a while ago."**

**"Roger, Tim." **A North American accent was heard on his frequency. **"As soon as you and some of the ARGUS boys can determine that the barracks are cleared, send the A21 boys up there. I'll need you and the others ready to storm the facility. We'll need all the manpower we can get. Besides, Ms. Seina's about to start her plan."**

**"Got that part, Fred. I'm on the way. Out." **Holstering his pistol, Tim gestured to the ARGUS mercenary behind him. In turn, he gave a hand signal that it's okay to come up. Several armed A21 terrorists came up the first leading to the second floor with a few of them securing the second floor before a few more came up to secure the rest of the building.

"We're out of here." Tim ushered to the lone ARGUS mercenary to come with him. The two left the barracks and left the A21 terrorists alone to secure the building by themselves after recon had determined that 3 JGSDF soldiers were only inside the building, making their job a bit easier.

Chapter 8 END

PS - I'm back and my exams are all done. I can get back to this. But my folks are coming in from Manila for the holidays, so that means I may not be able to do at least one more chapter before the holidays. If that's the case, then I wish all the readers a happy holidays, spend time with your families. Otherwise, wait for another update this month. Title reference is from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials.

I apologize if I'm too much on details as realism in my stories are a must. I try not to do it too much (At least I think I hopefully do). If anyone's in the dark about the TTsKO BDU, it's based on the American ERDL BDU and the Soviet Army kept it a secret from 1981 to 1985 when a Soviet parade had its soldiers participating in it wear the uniform. Version include brown and lime green bases.

The gaiden that I planned to do with Sousuke and the other FMP characters in Zanzibar Land before and after its independence in the Metal Gear universe will most likely be done after I put up my sequel on Overwatch based on Second Raid. Oh yeah, still no title for it too. I added three each of the bosses from Metal Gears 1 and 2, including one from the NES version. I'll add the ones from Snake's Revenge and probably the Acid series later on. If any Metal Gear 1/2 veteran would see, I chose these guys simply because they kick ass. I've played both, but I gave up on the 1st on the NES version. I'll try to play the MSX version soon. I had some issues on whether to use Predator or Red Blaster from MG2 here in the story as an enemy, but I decided to choose the former since he kicks ass in intimidating you as a boss while the latter's kinda boring since all he does is toss grenades, which you dodge in MG2 once you get the pattern right.

Either way, I'd like to send out my holiday cheers to all you readers of Overwatch.


	9. Assault Waves

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Kalinin wouldn't have been wounded to protect Tessa from the glass shards and really took her away from the windows, not to mention that Tessa stepped out of the shower when Sousuke answered the door to see Kaname.

Summary:

As Sousuke and the other SRT operators continue with their undercover assignments in Jindai High, an unknown force is currently preparing to storm a covert Defense Agency facility where MITHRIL officer Tessa Testarossa is touring the area with Andrei Kalinin. What is in store for her? What does the facility hold so badly for a needed raid to occur? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 9: Assault Waves

Forests, near outskirts of covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

_Everything's going according to plan... _

Seina began to climb her black Rk-92 Savage, the palm of its right hand on the ground to help facilitate her ascent towards it cockpit. Once inside, she sealed its hatch and began to boots its OS system.

**"Greetings, Ms. Seina!"** boomed a voice from the Savage's radio comms. **"I trust that your satisfaction with the added personnel should help you with the assault."**

**"Yes, of course."** Seina replied. **"I'm very much pleased to hear that the mercenaries from Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land are here to assist me too, as well as the renowned ARGUS Corporation."**

**"Excellent, Ms. Seina. I look forward to cooperate with you and the rest of your A21 group." **

Peeking to her right, Seina viewed the monitors to see another Arm Slave, which was a French-made Mistral II, standing beside her.

_A Mistral II? That's a military Arm Slave besides my Savage. I wonder who's the pilot?_

* * *

Outside Ladies' Toilet, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Hey Allen?"

Yang Jun-Kyu and Allen Ishiba, operators from the TDD-1's SRT and PRT units, had been standing outside the ladies' toilet for 5 minutes after Tessa had excused herself. The two stood on each end of the doorway leading to the toilet as a means of protecting Tessa.

"Yeah?"

Yang stared at his Japanese-American PRT colleague. "Did you get this feeling that the facility would be attacked anytime soon?"

Allen shrugged his shoulders, "Not sure, Yang."

The South Korean SRT operator scratched his head. "Figures."

* * *

Rooftop, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Stack up on the door!"

The Ultra Box assassins converged near the only door that led down inside the research center alongside a group of ARGUS mercenaries ready to back them up. After the group had traversed the fire escape from the ground floor, several JGSDF soldiers assigned to guard the rooftop were killed by knives, silenced small arms and neck breaks from the unknown intruders. A Mitsubishi UH-60JA helicopter was also present in the rooftop, not operational at the moment.

"That took care of them." One of the Ultra Box assassins, having a British accent, watched as two ARGUS mercenaries removed the corpses of the dead UH-60JA pilots from the chopper. An ARGUS mercenary and another Ultra Box assassin had previously shot the pilots in the UH-60JA twice in their chests, the former a silenced Heckler and Koch USP Compact and the latter a silenced Sig Sauer SIG Pro 2340. As their corpses was being discarded, another ARGUS mercenary went to the chopper and planted C4 explosives inside its cabin before giving the thumbs up to indicate that the charges were set.

"Concentrate, James." The British Ultra Box member turned his around to see his colleague, eyes staring at him from his balaclava while speaking with his German accent.

"Whatever, Theodor." James rolled his eyes. His radio suddenly had an incoming transmission, **"Hold it..."**

**"All teams, check in." **Seina's voice was heard from the radio of the British Ultra Box assassin.

**"Team 1 here. All clear here!"** reported James, getting collective nods from the ARGUS mercenaries and his Ultra Box comrades. He then moved to the door and planted an explosive on the door.

* * *

Basement 3, Underground Parking Lot, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Inside the research center's underground parking lot and on the 3rd floor, another team of ARGUS mercenaries were deployed alongside Night Sight, Flame Trooper and Machine Gun Kid. They were also stacked up near the door leading to the elevator lobby.

"Sure is a lot of them today." murmured Night Sight. Corpses of JGSDF soldiers were scattered around the parking lot, killed using the same methods utilized by the first team in the research center's rooftop.

"Yeah." whispered Machine Gun Kid. He eyed a JGSDF soldier slumped on the ground with a pool of blood formed from under the neck, which was only possible from the use of a bladed weapon like a combat knife. Softly whispering to himself, Kid unscrewed the silencer mounted on his Fabrique Nationale M249 Para Light Machine Gun.

"We've got a transmission." whispered one of the ARGUS mercenaries, standing next to Night Sight with a Colt M4A1 assault carbine. "Ms. Seina wants our status."

"All right." nodded Night Sight before speaking on his radio unit. **"This is Team 2. We're ready to go!" **spoke the ex-Zanzibar Land Independence veteran as he planted an explosive on the doors.  
**

* * *

**Bushes, Main Road, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Hidden in the bushes and trees near the main road leading to the research center, Predator and a group of A21 terrorists were already waiting for any JGSDF reinforcements ready to assist any of their forces still in the area. The Twin Shot snipers were positioned on a small hilltop near the road, camouflaged with the bushes also in order to provide sniper coverage.

**"Team 3 here." **One of the Twin Shot snipers reported to Seina. **"On standby."

* * *

**Forests, near outskirts of covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

**"Standby, Standby..." **

Seina had moved her Savage towards the northern area of the research center, backed up by the Mistral II. The A21 leader was mystified by the Arm Slave itself since she didn't know the pilot's identity.

**"Hang in there." **said the Mistral II's pilot.** "I'll back you up." **

Seina was startled, but replied. **"Thank you." **_All right. Here goes nothing..._

Seeing that her view of the research center's northern sector is clear, Seina's Savage raised her BK-540 rifle before she said, **"Standby. And go!"**

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

A booming sound was heard from outside the research center, moments after Tessa, Yang and Allen had met up with Kalinin back in the hallway.

"What's that sound?" Tessa asked her Soviet subordinate.

"I'm not sure yet Captain." Kalinin replied, staring out at the windows outside. "An explosion was heard in the forests up ahead, but..."

More explosions were soon heard, from the direction of the research center's rooftop and from the lower floors. They were followed from explosions from the exterior areas of the facility once more.

"Captain." Kalinin spoke to his superior, crouching on the ground with her and her SRT/PRT bodyguards to avoid getting hit by broken debris from the ceiling. "We need you to be evacuated at once."

* * *

"Move it! Head to the rooftop!"

A platoon of heavily armed JGSDF soldiers with Howa Type 89 assault rifles began to run towards the direction of the research center's rooftop, hearing a controlled explosion from the rooftop door. As the JGSDF soldiers had began their approach towards the breached door, a device was hurled inside the facility. It fell on the stairs and went down several steps before it landed on the feet of some JGSDF soldiers who have not ascended the stairs to the roof. An explosion was then heard, which blinded the soldiers with bright lights and loud sounds.

"Agh!" One of the JGSDF soldiers shouted, covering his eyes. "It's a flashbang!"

Various small arms gunfire were soon heard after the flashbang had exploded.

* * *

Open Lobby, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Another platoon of JGSDF soldiers had surrounded the 3rd basement's open lobby that led to the parking lot by taking cover from any object that they can use from sofas to the reception table in front of the lobby, with black smoke lingering around form the explosion.

"Sir!" A JGSDF soldier with the rank of Corporal spoke to the soldier next to him. "I can't see anyone out here from the smoke."

"Probably from the explosives." The JGSDF soldier with the rank of First Lieutenant replied. "Keep your eyes open and stay sharp."

"Understood!"

The armed soldiers trained the barrels of their Howa Type 89s at the open lobby, a bit uneasy with the black smoke around the open lobby. They waited, waited and waited some more for what would happen.

All of a sudden, a burst of fire had nearly engulfed the entire lobby for a few seconds before it swept from left to right. Several JGSDF soldiers were caught in the path of the raging flame, caught in surprise by the unknown enemy getting into the offensive.

"Help them!" yelled the First Lieutenant. Some of the other JGSDF soldiers, who had not been immolated by the flames, began to check on their colleagues that had been attacked by a flamethrower weapon.

A figure appeared from behind the officer, who had deactivated its stealth camouflage. He grabbed the First Lieutenant from his back, unaware of his presence, by latching his left hand on his mouth.

"Good night." Night Sight grinned under his balaclava before he plunged the sharp tip of his NRS-2 combat knife on the left side of his chest, stabbing his heart.

"Fire!" Machine Gun Kid stormed the lobby with several ARGUS mercenaries after tossing in several smoke grenades to cover their entrance after Night Sight had done his work. They began to fire their small arms on the surviving JGSDF soldiers, with the British mercenary firing his FN M249 Para LMG in order to provide suppressive fire for the ARGUS mercenaries assaulting the lobby.

* * *

Outskirts of Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Hey Sousuke."

Shinji called out to Sousuke, who was about to follow Kaname after the two had exited the main gate of Jindai High. Shinji saw that Sousuke was really ready to walk behind Kaname.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean, after Kaname had nearly whacked you on the head with the home plate..."

"It's not a problem." Sousuke replied. "I'll be fine."

"Okay." Shinji nodded a bit. "So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Indeed." With that, Sousuke began to walk towards the direction of his apartment safe house. Shinji's left pants pocket began to vibrate minutes after Sousuke had walked down the sidewalk away from the main gate of Jindai High.

"Damn." Taking the Nokia 7110, Shinji exposed its keypad by pulling its cover off with his left thumb. "Got a call."

**"Hello?" **Shinji answered the call on his cellphone.

**"It's me, Shinji." **Shinji heard who it was on his cell. **"Listen, I've got interesting news. Wraith's in town." **

**"Wraith? You mean that ex-State Security Department operative with Intelligence, Ronald? What's she doing in town?"**

**"You got me. All I know is that she's not going to spill."**

**"That's a shame."**

**"You tell me." **

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"We have to get Takuma out of here, commander Kalinin!"

Tessa, now realizing the reason of the appearance of the Savage and the Mistral II Arm Slave and the sounds of gunshots coming from the roof and lower floors of the research center, implored to Kalinin to order Yang and Allen to secure Takuma Kugayama. The young boy arrested by police for assaulting a New Tokyo Airport customs agent, who had been discovered by scientists of the research center to be artificially enhanced to operate Arm Slaves that have Lambda Drivers.

"Unfortunately, madam Captain." Kalinin was quick to be blunt to his superior officer. "With this situation, we need to get out of here." He then addressed Yang and Allen, standing at his side. "You two, take the lead to the main floor at once. We could be able to take a vehicle out of the area."

* * *

Somewhere near covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Get out of my way."

Seina navigated her Savage around the research center while facing against Mitsubishi Type 87 SPAAGs and Type 89 IFVs with Komatsu Type 87 Reconnaissance vehicles and LAVs, mostly armed with Sumitomo M249 LMGs, stationed in the area. Aiming the BK-540, the Savage easily wiped out most of the JGSDF's armored vehicles sent in as part of the Defense Agency's covert research center security detail.

**"Need a bit of help, Ms. Seina?" **

Seina, eying the main monitor of her cockpit, saw who was helping her quell the JGSDF armored vehicles around the research center. She saw that the gray-painted Mistral II Arm Slave had fired its T35 M820 35 mm assault rifle, which greatly resembles the GIAT FAMAS F1 assault rifle, at the other Type 89 IFVs that were about to fire its dual Type 79 Jyu-MAT anti-tank missiles attached on the Type 89's 35 mm turret.

**"You ought to be more careful there, Ms. Seina. Those Type 79s could've made your life a bit difficult." **The unknown voice chuckled.

**"Just shut it and help me weaken the facility's defenses further!" **Seina angrily replied, before she and the unknown pilot raised the rifles of their respective Arm Slaves towards the main facility.

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Damn it!" Allen saw the unknown Mistral II and Seina's Savage had already taken aim at the facility's main building with their Arm Slave-sized assault rifles.

"Get down!" Kalinin rushed towards Tessa as the two Arm Slaves peppered the main building with several 35 mm bullets. It tore through concrete, glass and wood as several JGSDF soldiers and Defense Agency scientists were being mowed down by the barrage of 35 mm bullets. However, that was not was Tessa had seen.

"Commander Kalinin! Look out!"

Two shards of glass shattered by the gunfire on the main building by the Mistral II and Savage had struck Kalinin, who had not been aware of it as he had tried to get Tessa and her SRT/PRT bodyguards out of the way. The large glass shard struck the white ponytailed man on his back while a smaller one struck him on his right shoulder. Another explosion later shook the building with debris from the ceiling falling to the tiled floor.

* * *

Outskirts of Jindai High School, Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Hey Shinji..."

Kyoko was able to catch up with Shinji, who was about to leave Jindai High since classes were already over.

"Yeah, Kyoko?"

Kyoko scratched her chin before she went to ask him. "I need to ask you about what happened during the girl's baseball class."

"You mean I tackled Sousuke from getting clocked in the head by the home plate?" When Kyoko nodded, Shinji sighed and fixed his glasses. "Let's just say that it just reminded me of someone who I met a long time ago." _That's one of the many things that I can do for Sousuke since he helped me for a while back in Zanzibar._

"I see." Kyoko nodded. "Anyway, that's all I'm asking."

"Oh." Shinji stared at the clock mounted on the school's clock tower. "I have to go. I need to take care of something. See you tomorrow." Shinji began to walk out of the school's main gate while waving goodbye to Kyoko.

* * *

Main Lobby, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Look out! Grenade!"

A group of JGSDF soldiers with Minebea PM-9 submachine guns, using the rear of the reception counter for protection, were being overwhelmed by several teams of ARGUS mercenaries armed with Colt M4A1 carbines and Heckler and Koch UMP 45 submachine guns after they had emerged from the fire escapes and the elevators that led to the lobby from the basement parking levels.

An ARGUS mercenary with a M4A1 carbine used a concrete pillar for cover to ravage for a thermal grenade from his vest.

"Take this." The M4A1-armed mercenary tossed the grenade, its safety pin already pulled out, towards the reception counter. After the grenade had been tossed, an explosion was heard with the JGSDF soldiers yelling out in pain as the flames from the white phosphorus were slowly killing them.

"Dammit!" Machine Gun Kid began to fire his M249 Para LMG at JGSDF soldiers running towards the main entrance after being unloaded by a Mitsubishi Type 89 IFV. "A little help would be nice!" Flame Trooper supported him by using his flamethrower to prevent any of the disembarked soldiers from approaching the lobby.

Responding to his call, an ARGUS mercenary had fired the Colt M203A1 40 mm grenade launcher attached underneath the barrel and foregrip on his M4A1. Depressing the weapon's trigger, the mercenary had launched a single 40 mm HE grenade as the JGSDF soldiers were in front of the entrance. The HE grenade made impact with glass doors, shattering it to pieces and killing most of the opposing force with Machine Gun Kid finishing off the surviving soldiers with his M249 Para. Seconds later, some 35 mm bullets fired from either the Mistral II or the Savage eliminated the Type 89 IFV outside of the research center.

"That was sh-t." cursed Machine Gun Kid, gripping his weapon very carefully. He eyed a lone JGSDF soldier prone on the ground, trying to grab his Minebea 9mm pistol by moving his body alongside the tiled floor. Unfortunately, he was shot to death by an unseen assailant.

"Hey." Kid gestured to the ARGUS mercenaries to secure the lobby. "No need to do some overkilling, you know."

Night Sight materialized, with a bit of smoke traceable from the barrel of his IZHMASH AK-74 assault rifle. "Yea, whatever. We'd better have this place taken care of." The ex-Vietnamese soldier eyed the outskirts of the research center. "Speaking of which, I wonder how Predator and the others are doing?"

* * *

Near Main Road to covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Hidden at the bushes and trees next to the main road leading to the research center, several armed A21 terrorists had used the area's vegetation to their advantage in order to conceal themselves at the left side of the road. Predator had been with them, already armed with a MKE G3A3 assault rifle. The South African was not sure as to where the Twin Shot snipers were located, but deduced that they were at the right side of the road.

**"Predator to Twin Shots, can you hear me? Over." **Donning the headset on his head and pressing the PTT button clipped on th left side of his chest, Predator can visualize several vehicles approaching the facility.

**"Twin Shot 1 here, pal." **Predator's headset got a transmission. **"We've got a good position for us to engage the convoy. Over."**

**"Right, get ready." **One of the A21 terrorists, with an IZHMASH AKM rifle, pointed to Predator the approaching convoy. It was being led by a Mitsubishi Type 73 and a Toyota Koukidousha with JGSDF soldiers wearing balaclavas and armed with Colt M4A1 rifles, followed by a Mitsubishi Type 87 Reconnaissance Vehicle and a Mitsubishi Type 96 APC with a mounted Howa Type 96 automatic grenade launcher. Following the convoy's rear is another Toyota Koukidousha with the same masked JGSDF soldiers and Colt M4A1 rifles also.

"Special Operations Group's deployed eh? Perfect." Predator got his remote detonator ready on his left hand. _It's a good thing that I spent some time trying to see if I can have this SH-55 mines detonate by remote during my time in Zanzibar..._ As soon as he saw the Mitsubishi Type 73 nearing the left road curve where his group had been hiding, the ex-South African Special Forces Brigade commando activated the detonator for two SH-55 anti-tank mines to detonate underneath the Type 73 jeep.

"Everyone! Attack!" yelled Predator, as soon as the Type 73 went into a barrel roll in the air before it landed with the jeep's roof on the road first and explode in a ball of fire.

* * *

Outside Commander's Office, Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Tokyo, Japan

"I do hope you have a good reason why you called me out when I was still speaking with the CO of Yokota."

A few minutes ago, Liquid had been summoned by Vulcan Raven. A giant towering man from Alaska, he had tattoos of the ravens over his body with emphasis on his chest. His appearance had been a bit disturbing to most of the US Army personnel that Raven had met aside from his time with Revolver Ocelot back in the Soviet Union before the two had decided to go to Outer Heaven after being invited to do so by Big Boss.

"I'm afraid so." Raven replied, being straight to the point. "We've got some information on A21."

Liquid sighed, placing his hands on his trenchcoat pockets. "You mean that group that supposedly helped juvenile delinquents before getting involved in an accident when some media personnel were hurt?"

"Indeed." Raven nodded. "Though I'm not sure if I should sympathize with them, A21 resurfaced within a few weeks after going into underground due to the pressure by the media."

"Boss." Liquid and Raven saw that Ocelot was now in the area, with some papers in hand.

"What is it?" Liquid raised his left eyebrow after seeing the white-haired FOXHOUND gunslinger. "If this is another matter, then I'm busy..."

"No, no." Ocelot shook his head. "Not at all." He then presented the papers to Liquid, "In fact, it's the reason why we came to Japan in the first place after our mission back in North Korea."

Taking the papers from Ocelot, Liquid browsed through them and studied its contents carefully. _Looks like the Pentagon's already giving us FOXHOUND chaps the green light to conduct this operation our way to clear those A21 pests from this country. How quaint! _"It seems that the CIA and the PSIA has given us intelligence that the A21's already on the move."

"It seem so." Ocelot replied. "Everyone's ready to move out. They're just getting their gear ready for the mission."

"All right." Liquid handed the papers back to Ocelot. "Ocelot, go and see that everyone's already done." He then opened the door of the commander's office a bit. "I'll just finish up a nice chat with the commander of Yokota and see if he can provide us some assistance for this mission."

* * *

Inside 2000 Nissan Caravan, en route to Iruma Air Base, Iruma, Saitama, Japan

Driven by a JASDF airman with the rank of Airman Third Class in plainclothes with a JASDF NCO with the rank of Warrant Officer seated on the front passenger seat, the 2000 Nissan Caravan drove off towards the direction of Iruma Air Base as the van had arrived in the streets of Iruma, Saitama. Four people were seated in the passenger section of the Caravan.

"So what's the reason why we need to head to Iruma Air Base here?" Andrew Burke, British RAINBOW operator was seated next to the left sliding door of the Caravan in the front passenger section, staring at the people walking around Iruma. "I mean, we could just use Yokota for a transit point for this mission?" The ex-SAS operative sighed.

"Six insisted on this arrangement with the JASDF." South Korean RAINBOW operator Choi Jae-Hoon replied, seated next to Andrew. "We need to be a bit independent. I heard that FOXHOUND already arrived in Japan this morning from the United States."

"I agree with Six on this as well, Andrew." Renee Raymond , American RAINBOW operator of African-American descent and ex-Delta Force commando, added her comments to back up his statement. "He probably thinks that if FOXHOUND and RAINBOW gets to participate in another joint operation, he might be pressured by those chair warmers in the Pentagon." She leaned back on the seat as she was on the middle passenger section.

"It seems that Choi's right." Timothy Hanley, Australian RAINBOW operator sat in the rear passenger section. "That way, we can show off to those FOXHOUND guys that we're independent from interference by major world powers to do our job." The ex-Australian SAS operator yawned. "Sorry." Timothy said a quick apology. "Flight to Japan was tiring, I'd say."

"Right." nodded the ex-South Korean 707th operator. "Let's just hope that Ding can tell us what to expect on this mission."

* * *

Near Main Road to covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Choppers up ahead!" One of the A21 terrorists, with a Norinco M-14 assault rifle and olive green BDUs and a simple green tactical vest, pointed to Predator a Fuji AH-1S attack helicopter and a Mitsubishi UH-60JA Black Hawk utility helicopter in the sky near the research center after he used his weapon previously to gun down the driver and front passenger of the rear Toyota . Both men were hidden in the bushes as the gunfire flared up with A21 terrorists engaged against the masked SOG soldiers using guerrilla tactics to outnumber them by using the vegetation as cover. A while ago, the SOG soldiers who had disembarked first from their vehicles were gunned down by A21 tangos hiding in the bushes. Their tactics had been a reminiscent of guerrilla warfare, the doctrine used by irregular forces of fighting back by using mobile tactics like surprise ambushes. So far, it had been working to their advantage. Predator too had found the art very useful. He had previously used guerrilla warfare tactics in his days in the South African Special Forces Brigade, as well as in the Zanzibar Land Independence War.

"Damn." Predator gritted his teeth, gunning down two SOG soldiers who had disembarked from the rear Toyota Koukidousya, while injuring one in the right leg and another on his right shoulder. The two surviving SOG soldiers had tried to retreat towards the sanctuary of the Mitsubishi Type 96 APC before A21 tangos from the bushes on the right side of the road killed them via assault rifle gunfire. "JGSDF choppers must have been mean to accompany the convoy." He then faced the A21 terrorist armed with the M-14. "Get some of our guys to knock the choppers out of the sky."

"At once." The A21 terrorist prone on the ground next to Predator pointed to his fellow comrades the airborne choppers. Six A21 terrorists armed with Soviet 9K38 Igla-1S took aim at the AH-1S and UH-60JA choppers with Predator firing his G3A3 assault rifle against the SOG soldiers to give them cover. The first A21 Igla-1S team used the MANPAD's reticule optical sights to get a lock onto the incoming helicopters. A few seconds later, the first Igla-1S rockets were fired from their launchers. As the two rockets were about to hit their targets, the UH-60JA employed infrared countermeasures by deploying several flares to provide them some cover. The AH-1S did likewise, covering the bottom portion of the choppers with a blanket of flares.

"Crap!" muttered the A21 terrorist armed with the Igla-1S. "The rockets made contact with the flares." While watching the explosion in the air, the first two A21 tangos with the Igla-1S were gunned down by two SOG soldiers with their M4A1 carbines while using the engine block of the Koukidousya for cover as their comrades continued to engage Predator and the other A21 terrorists. They were gunned down by one of the Twin Shot snipers at the rear, armed with a Heckler and Koch PSG-1 with a 20-round magazine. He was camouflaged with leaves and grass of the local vegetation on his ghillie suit, blending with the bushes.

"Got you boys covered." The second Twin Shot sniper, prone on the ground next to his brother and a bit exposed so as to aim well, fired his Barrett M82A1A to disable the vehicles by taking out their engines and tires with some A21 terrorists armed with RPG-29 rocket launchers taking out the idle Komatsu Type 96 APC, the Mitsubishi Type 87 Reconnaissance vehicle and the Toyota Koukidoushas. One of his shots had instantly killed an SOG soldier in the chest, who collapsed on the ground with blood oozing out of his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. "Fire again!" He then switched his M82A1A to a Heckler and Koch MSG-90 sniper rifle once his deed was done.

With the Twin Shot snipers taking down a few more SOG soldiers alongside Predator and the other A21 tangos, a second team of A21 Igla-1S MANPAD tangos fired again as soon as the flare blanket made contact with the Igla-1S rocket in mid-air. This time, both the AH-1S and UH-60JA didn't have time to activate countermeasures since the flames and smokes from the mid-air explosion provided the perfect concealment for the second Igla-1S rocket to make their mark. The first rocket made contact with the AH-1S' tail rotor, resulting in black smoke coming from the said area. The second Igla-1S rocket went for the UH-60JA's tail, which also emitted black smoke after the rocket's warhead made a direct hit.

The third A21 Igla-1S team finally fired their payload, watching the rockets destroy the two choppers in mid-air. The AH-1S met its fate when one of the Igla-1S rockets went for its cockpit, which resulted in its destruction. The UH-60JA met its fate when the second rocket went for its cockpit, resulting in its destruction. Two fireballs were seen in the air briefly before the flaming wrecks of the former JGSDF choppers plummeted straight for the earth.

"Good." Predator smirked, taking down one of the three SOG soldiers by ducking to avoid being hit by the M4A1's buttstock before using his G3A3's solid stock to hit him square in the chest before executing a foot sweep. As soon as the SOG soldier was down, Predator fired several 7.62 mm NATO bullets on his chest, killing him. The second had been taken out by a headshot, as one of the Twin Shots fired his MSG-90 from the bushes. The third and last SOG soldier had been killed when an A21 terrorist tossed a Soviet F1 grenade at him after his mates had conducted suppressive fire, its shrapnel contents piercing every bit of his body.

Chapter 9 END

PS - Chapter title is from Gundam 0083's 12th episode title in Japan. In English, it's known as Assault on the Point of No Return.

Happy 2008 to everyone! Been busy lately since I went to Whistler for the holidays and boy, was it cold up there. Recently read up on a comic called Action Force. Search it on wikipedia. It says that it was the British counterpart of G.I. JOE. Quite interesting, I plan to use the baddies there for another fanfic that I had in mind for the past few days. Aside from that, Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 is out by this year. That means I have a Vegas fanfic that would cross with this story possibly with a bunch of bad guys I have in mind. Since I read the stuff lately, I'd like to put some remnants of Cobra in the streets of Vegas with Vipers tackling the Las Vegas Police and the US Army National Guard. He he he. Aside from that, I've watched Macross Frontier's 1st episode and I enjoyed Aya Endo singing the insert song, whatever it is for now. I only wonder how the English (or other dubs) would beat this.

BTW, some things I should explain here. The Koukidousha is the military version of the Toyota Mega Cruiser used for troop transport. PSIA stands for Public Security Intelligence Agency, Japan's intelligence agency that does internal and external work. Quite tough for them since the PSIA's only one of the few intel agencies that do both internal and external intelligence work. Feel sorry for them since they need to do double work.

The Igla-1S is the improved version of the Igla, which includes longer range, more sensitive seeker, improved resistance to latest countermeasures, and a heavier warhead. Come on, Amalgam's a weapon smuggling organization and Soviet MANPADS are the most commonly used ones by guerrillas and terrorists, so A21 does deserve to have a good fight. Oh yeah, NATO names it the SA-18 Grouse.

For 2008, I'll try and put at least 5,000 more words to make it 10,000 as a new year's resolution after the 10th chapter. For now, happy new year and good luck to whatever you're doing for 2008. Hopefully, I can finish this story in a month or two to work on other projects. For now, review and let me know if the chapter is good. I enjoyed doing the gunfights, especially the guerrilla-style mobile ambush tactics. I hope I did this chapter right. I did some Tom Clancy-esque stuff in here though in doing the gunfights and the ambush scene on the road near the research center just to make it more lively.

I've added another character from the Korea-only RAINBOW PC game Take-Down named Choi Jae-Hoon. South Korean as usual, ex-707th Special Missions Battalion operator. Guy has good assault skills as always, a bit similar to Lee from the previous one 'cept he's better than Choi. Oh well, I'll try and post the pics of the ROK operators from Take-Down in some site soon. I'll let you peeps know.

And blackwolf581 - Don't worry. I'm trying to figure out how Liquid would meet up with Sousuke later on. I agree, this would be good. I'll probably due this after the Behemoth arc of FMP.


	10. Setting Off

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, there would've been a better way for Kalinin to rescue Tessa, Kaname and himself without risking himself some more since he got injured with glass shards that impaled on his back. Ouch! Not a pleasant thing to have in your life.

Summary:

A mysterious group known as A21 had laid siege on a covert Japanese Defense Agency research center, with assistance from mercenaries and a PMC company known as the ARGUS Corporation. With Tessa's life in danger, can she escape the facility alive while staying out of sight? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 10: Setting Off

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Commander Kalinin! Please get up!"

Tessa went over to the injured Kalinin, who had glass shards embedded on his body, with some chunks of medium-sized debris from the roof that landed on his back after being knocked out by a sudden explosion that made him collapse on the ground, chest first.

"I'm afraid I can't get out of here with you, Madam captain." Kalinin said, grunting as he had been injured. "I'll just be troublesome."

"It's all right, Commander." Tessa insisted, shaking him a bit on his left arm. "Please, you have to..."

* * *

"Move out! Those intruders were able to penetrate the building's roof and the main lobby! Secure the floors and get the scientists out of here, hurry!"

A masked JGSDF soldier with the rank of Major had his Colt M4A1 carbine slinged on his right shoulder, barking out orders to his other masked JGSDF Special Operations Group subordinates. A series of loud explosions and automatic gunfire had forced most of the JGSDF soldiers on duty to fight back against the unknown intruders.

"Hey you!" The Lieutenant had stopped one of the masked soldiers, who had the rank of Master Sergeant. "What's the status of the squads that went to the rooftop?"

"Last time I heard, sir." The Master Sergeant replied. "They've been killed after an explosive entry was done by the intruding forces. Most of them were killed."

The Lieutenant gritted his teeth under his mask. _This is not good. _The SOG officer eyed most of the masked men dashing through the corridor leading to the stairs that would take them to the last few floors prior to the rooftop. He ran to catch up with them. However...

BOOM!

An explosive planted on the door leading to the research center's many fire escapes have been breached. In the explosion, a few SOG troopers were caught in the blast that killed them with others having been gravely injured after the explosive had been detonated. The Major had been one of the JGSDF soldiers killed in the explosives breach.

"Damn it! It's an ambush!" Moments later, a blinding light followed by sound was heard when a device was hurled in the corridor.

_A flashbang! _The Sergeant Major tried to raise his Heckler and Koch USP 9 pistol from his holster as he had dropped his Colt M4A1 carbine when he was blinded by the flash. "Why you..." Before he could fire his sidearm, a squad of ARGUS mercenaries with Colt M4A1 carbines and Heckler and Koch UMP 45 submachine guns entered the corridor and fired their weapons at any SOG soldier not killed from the explosive entry.

"Sir!" A squad of SOG soldiers had appeared in the corridor from behind the Lieutenant. From a side corridor, loud gunfire with the sound of a shotgun being fired decimated the newly arrived squad as they passed the area. Being attacked from the side, the SOG squad didn't have an opportunity to fight back..

"Damn!" The Sergeant Major fired some shots from his USP 9, but was gunned down by hails of 5.56 NATO and .45 ACP bullets alongside the other SOG soldiers not killed in the rear ambush. The Lieutenant too had aimed his Colt M4A1, but an ARGUS mercenary armed with a Franchi SPAS 12 shotgun had fired a single 12 gauge buckshot shell at him.

"Ungh!" The Lieutenant fell down, receiving a wound on his pelvic area.

* * *

"It's all right, Madam captain. I can stay here to divert the enemy's attention to - URGH!" Kalinin gritted his teeth, feeling the glass shard on his back after Allen had removed the debris on his back.

"All right!" Secure this area once the fighting stops, understand?"

"Sir yes, sir!"

Tessa was now scared; the heavily armed personnel who had attacked the research center were now about to come around towards the section of the corridor where she had been staying put ever since the two Arm Slaves riddled the main building with 35 mm bullets. Unless she could think of something, she could be caught with her bodyguards alongside the injured Kalinin.

"Please go, Captain." Kalinin cringed at the searing pain on his back and right shoulder.

"But Commander..." Tessa trailed off, not wanting to leave him behind.

"It's all right." Kalinin assured his superior officer. "I'll be fine. After all, they won't be able to get rid of me that easily."

Seeing the Soviet MITHRIL officer's determination, Tessa then faced her South Korean SRT bodyguard next to her. "Corporal Yang." Tessa addressed her SRT subordinate. "Head back to the interrogation room and pick up the unconscious boy inside."

"What for, Captain?" Yang asked, not believing the order that he is hearing.

"Those armed men are after him." Tessa briefly explained. "We need to get him out of here. Understand?"

"Right." Yang nodded, heading towards the interrogation room behind him. "Understood."

* * *

Balcony, Unknown Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Guess I won't have anything to report in back to TDD-1 when they radio the safehouse." Ronald grinned while using a single pair of ATN 8x36 RF Omega binoculars to scout the apartment buildings adjacent to his and the streets nearby. "And it's also a good thing that there's a safehouse in front of Sousuke's apartment, though I'm two floors above Kaname's..."

Standing on the balcony of the apartment safehouse, Ronald sighed in relief after he had insisted on Wraith to leave after he threatened her that he would personally get to call General Amit of Intelligence for ruining his capability to _support _Sousuke in his Tokyo operations, as ordered by Kalinin.

"Sousuke's not here eh? Typical." Ronald chuckled, using his ATN binoculars to scan the block where Kaname's apartment is. "From what I've heard, he's been getting into a lot of trouble just for protecting Angel."

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

_Must...grab...pistol..._

The wounded SOG Lieutenant, on the ground and unable to stand from his pelvic wound caused by the buckshot, tried to reach for his USP 9 lying on his right side.

_Damn this wound. _The masked officer tried to get a hold of his sidearm while hearing faint sounds of gunshots in the corridor while covering his wound with his gloved left hand. _Must do something about it._

Just as his gloved right index finger was about to touch his USP 9's trigger grip, the Lieutenant saw that someone was aiming a pistol right at him.

An ARGUS mercenary, his M4A1 carbine slinged on his right shoulder, had his Beretta 92FS pistol aimed right at him. Sneering at the helmeted mercenary, the wounded SOG officer tried in haste to make a grab for his sidearm.

Seeing the officer touching the pistol grip of the USP 9, the armed ARGUS mercenary fired two 9mm bullets from his 92FS. One shot went for his neck and another to his chest, killing him for good.

* * *

_Oh god..._

Tessa flinched upon hearing the gunshot fired by the ARGUS mercenary, who had executed the wounded JGSDF officer. She was accompanied by Yang and Allen, the former holding an unconscious teenager with grey hair by holding his waist on his right arm and the teen's left arm around Yang's neck with his left hand supporting it. Allen had earlier drawn out his SIG SP 2009 pistol, covering the escape of Tessa and Yang from their rear.

"Captain?" Yang asked, seeing his commanding officer flinch.

"I'm fine, Corporal." Tessa shook her head a bit. "I just can't believe that whoever assaulted the facility probably killed anyone still alive."

"In that case, madam Captain." The South Korean SRT operator replied to his superior, "We'll have to get to the parking lot as soon as we can since we're already in the area." A few minutes ago, the three MITHRIL personnel were able to evade armed ARGUS and A21 forces by using side corridors that were not being used by the facility most of the time as the armed men would guard the main corridors. These would give them a good chance to spot anyone trying to escape. Tessa, before leaving the TDD-1, had studied the facility and its blueprints beforehand that she acted as the navigator to her subordinates.

"Area's clear, madam Captain. No tangos in sight." Allen jogged a bit to Tessa, being careful not to make too much noise with his brown dress shoes. "We should get to the fire escape that would take us to the parking lot."

"I'll take care of him, Corporal Yang." Yang, not wanting to argue with his superior as they were still at danger with the risk of being caught, handed the unconscious teenager to Tessa. "Sergeant Ishiba." Tessa whispered next to Allen, gripping the teen on his waist and placing his left arm around her neck. "Please take the lead and secure the fire escape before Corporal Yang and I head downstairs."

"Understood." whispered Allen, replying to her command. Gently opening the fire escape door, Allen peaked inside to see that it was lighted with no armed men in sight. Nodding to himself, Allen began to search the fire escape while aiming at the lower floors of the area with his SP 2009 pistol. Tessa and Yang followed behind, the latter drawing out his Heckler and Koch P7M13 pistol after closing the fire escape door gently door again to prevent anyone from seeing the opened door.

* * *

Passenger Cabin, Kawasaki C-1A, en route to covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center

"You guys ready?"

The Kawasaki C-1A loadmaster went to the cabin to see Ding Chavez conversing a bit with Andrew, Choi, Renee and Timothy with Einar Petersen, Kure Galanos and Antonio Maldini. All of the RAINBOW operators, except Einar and Kure, were armed with Colt M4A1 carbines with various sidearms. The other two had Heckler and Koch PSG-1 sniper rifles at the ready. All had American Woodland BDUs and boonie hats worn with tactical vests.

"Arigato." Ding answered the loadmaster. "Are we near the dropzone?"

"Hai." replied the loadmaster, nodding. "We're 50 kilometers away from the dropzone." He then moved his head over his left shoulder before he spoke again, "Just get your parachutes ready."

"So what do we do?" Einar asked Ding, the commanding officer for the mission.

"After we drop down," Ding said, giving out the instructions. "you and Kure will maintain the sniping position on one of the rooftops of the barracks in the research center. Once after that's done, I'll lead the teams to secure the research center. We'll need to find out who attacked the place and why. Afterwards, we get out for extraction."

"Is the JASDF going to do it?" asked Choi.

"I think so, Choi." Ding answered. "Or if another alternate's to come," The American RAINBOW operator swallowed his saliva before he continued on, "we'll get some help for extraction from USFJ."

* * *

Passenger Cabin, Lockheed Martin C-130H, en route to covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center

"All right." Liquid, wearing parachuting gear including a suit and parachute pack, addressed his FOXHOUND comrades. "Do all of you understand the orders? Once we touch down, we secure our landing first before we head into this facility here." Liquid showed Mantis, Ocelot, Viper and Sophie the picture of the same Defense Agency research center, before it had been attacked by a joint force of A21 and the ARGUS Corporation. The British FOXHOUND CO had selected Raven to come along for the mission for precautionary measures. Octopus and Bison stayed behind in Yokota Air Base, just in case they would need to rendezvous with someone from USFJ.

"Do we know the perpetrators?" Raven asked. "So far, we've been in the dark as to who assaulted the research center."

Liquid replied to Raven's curiosity. "I'm not even too sure myself, Raven. However, I've gotten word that a transmission given passed on to us by the JGSDF's Military Intelligence Command did say A21 in one of those transmissions."

"A21?" Mantis whispered, enough for his comrades. "I was right all along."

"What do you mean by that?" Viper asked, being impatient while inside the C-130H after it took off from Yokota Air Base. He tapped his right leg, which was hugged by his sneaking suit. "You mean the A21 on the news a few years ago?"

Mantis nodded. "The same. They're an ex-juvenile rehabilitation group. Last time I heard on the news, an accident involving media personnel who were killed during a visit on one of A21's island bases used for rehabilitation."

"Question I've got is why a juvenile rehabilitation group would be in an island of some sorts?" Ocelot voiced his concern. "Another thing is what were those media bozos doing in the middle of nowhere that got them into trouble?"

"That, my friend, was unfortunately was not heard in the media after that accident." Liquid smirked, keeping the photo back in a brown folder before placing it on the inner pocket of his parachuting suit. "After that accident took place, both Japanese and international media began to write the story off as an accident engineered and perpetrated by the A21 themselves."

"How unfortunate." Raven exhaled a bit of his breath. "It seemed that the media frenzy forced A21 into the underground, turning its members into a terrorist cadre."

"That's not all." Liquid snapped his fingers, getting the folder out again from his suit. "Let me get something." Getting another photo from the folder, he showed a woman in her '20s with brown hair.

"According to CIA and Pakistani ISI sources, this woman's now the leading figure in A21." Liquid told them of the photo.

"Does she have a name?" Sophie asked her superior.

"Only name we got is Seina." Liquid shook his head. "That's all."

"Hey, boss man!" The C-130H's loadmaster poked his head out of the cockpit. "We're almost near the dropzone! Better get ready!"

* * *

Basement 2, Underground Parking Lot, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Is this the vehicle?" Tessa whispered, after Allen had placed the key inside the keyhole to open the Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan. The PRT Sergeant didn't use the autolock system on the keychain, for fear of getting unwanted attention since only a few ARGUS mercenary personnel were guarding the parking lot. So far, the three with the unconscious boy in tow were able to sneak around without being detected.

"Yes, captain." whispered Allen. "I got the key from a dead scientist, caught in the crossfire. Didn't make it, he lost a lot of blood."

"I see." Tessa nodded.

"Another patrol. Hide." Yang advised. Since the area around the Bluebird U14 was dark and parked in, Tessa and the others were able to hide around a roving three-man ARGUS patrol. Yang saw that they were armed with M4A1 carbines with one of them armed with a SPAS-12 shotgun.

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Seina." An A21 terrorist with a Norinco Type 81 assault rifle and having black hair in his late '30s, spoke to Seina after entering the ruined research center by using the Savage's left arm placed on the hallway floor of the third floor as a bridge with a hole already breached after she fired her Savage's BK-540 rifle. "We didn't find Takuma. Tracker's gone blank on it." She had her gray and black Arm Slave pilot helmet worn on her head.

"We better find him." Seina glared at the man, gripping the pistol grip of her Heckler and Koch MP5K-PDW submachine gun. "And fast. He's the only one who can operate the devil..."

* * *

Basement 2, Underground Parking Lot, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Everyone inside?" Allen said, closing the door to the driver's seat gently. With Yang on the front passenger side and Tessa at the rear with Takuma, Allen started the Bluebird U14's engine, which brought some shouting.

"Hey!" A shout came from the the area. "Who the hell's starting the car?"

"I don't know." Another shout was also heard, replying to the first one who had shouted earlier. "But we better check it out."

"Sergeant!" Tessa yelled out to Allen. _Darn it! The patrol must be back!_

Allen grinned as he placed his seat belt on. "Don't worry about a thing, captain. I've got her covered."

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"What the hell's that?" One of the Ultra Box assassins named Tim blurted out. "I can hear gunfire from the parking lot."

Some of the A21 terrorists saw that the same Bluebird driven by Allen had left the facility's parking lot at fast speed, heading towards the direction of another road in the rear of the facility.

"What are you waiting for?" Seina shouted. "Shoot it!"

Obeying Seina's commands, the A21 terrorists aimed their weapons from the windows of the hallway that had a good view of the car before firing at it. On the ground, Predator had ordered the other A21 terrorists and the Twin Shot snipers to fire at the escaping car. Some of the ARGUS mercenaries also joined in as well.

"Ms. Seina." An ARGUS mercenary with a UMP 45 slinged on his left shoulder, pointed to Seina a body on the floor near him. "We've got a live body, but he's alive."

"What about him?" Seina raised an eyebrow.

"He's not with the base security or civilian personnel, aside from the ones that we've strung up ourselves and locked them up in one of the offices in the facility." The ARGUS mercenary escorted Seina to see the limp body, guarded by two ARGUS mercenary, aiming their UMP 45s at him. "If you look at him, he had a Caucasian complexion, speaks Japanese with a Russian accent and has a business suit."

"And you think he's only a visitor?" Seina eyed the ARGUS mercenary standing next to her. After he nodded, Seina knelt down next to man and lifted his face up with the barrel of her MP5K-PDW.

* * *

_And so it come to this._

Kalinin saw that a woman had used her MP5K-PDW to lift his face up to see her.

_Can't fight back. Am too weak... _Kalinin had deduced that the woman probably had help from the PASGT helmet/masked men in storming the facility, despite it was heavily guarded by SOG soldiers of the JGSDF.

"Tell me." The woman spoke in English with a Japanese accent in her tone. "Who are you?"

"I..." Kalinin grunted, replying back to the woman in English. "I'm your... your..." The woman raised an eyebrow, waiting for a reply.

"your enemy..."

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Is everyone alright?" Allen asked, driving the Bluebird U14 Sedan at fast speed. The car had previously been fired at by A21 and ARGUS mercenaries, filling the car with bullet holes on the car's frame and rear window. The windows on the car doors had some bullet holes, but are not noticeable since they were only small ones.

"I'm all right." Yang replied, inhaling and exhaling to catch his breath. He then turned to the rear passenger seat to check up on Tessa. "Captain?"

"I'm fine." Tessa fixed herself, who had covered Takuma's body with her own on the rear passenger seats to shield themselves from glass shards. Any glass shard wound on Takuma would make things worse; Tessa felt that she needed the teen alive until they can interrogate him while Seina, the rest of A21 and her ARGUS companions need the boy alive for some unknown purpose. "The boy's alive too. We don't have any injuries."

"So what now, Captain?" Yang ejected the 13-round magazine of his P7M13 pistol before he slapped it back on his sidearm. "The facility's taken over by some unknown force and we need a safe place to get us and the boy to for now and wait for the heat to cool down."

"I agree with him too." Allen spoke up, agreeing with Yang's thoughts. "I remember that our fleet has some safehouses in Tokyo. Do you happen to know where they are Captain? I mean, I've been with the fleet for a year now..."

"Yes." Tessa replied, closing her eyes for a bit before she eyed her subordinates. "In fact, I know where we can go to."

"All right." Allen exhaled, hearing some good news from his commanding officer. "So where do we go to?"

* * *

Corridor, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"Take him." Seina ordered the ARGUS mercenaries to take the wounded Kalinin away.

"Seina." An A21 terrorist in his late '20s had a Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod Škorpion vz. 61 submachine gun slinged on his neck with a tracker held on his left hand. "We're out of luck. The bug we placed on Takuma failed to work. Looks like he's out of range."

Seina sighed. _This is bad. Without Takuma, we can't get anyone else to do the devil. Even I can't pilot it, with all the Arm Slave training that I got when I slipped into Pakistan a few years ago... _"Looks like we don't have much of a choice, Ishiro."

"Seina?" Ishiro asked, scratching his brown hair.

"Make sure that there's no opposition in the facility once we've got the entire area cleared up." Seina gave out her instructions. "We've got to withdraw before more JGSDF reinforcements show up."

"Seina!" Seina saw Takaya ran up to her, reloading his Pusan M-16A1 assault rifle with a fresh 30-round magazine. "We've got company!"

Peering through the broken windows, Seina saw several Reunert RG-12 vehicles in black color approaching the facility's main entrance. They were guided towards the main building by A21 terrorists, assisted by Predator, with hand signals.

"Figures." Seina grinned. "Looks like reinforcements have arrived."

"Ms. Seina." Turning around, Seina saw that an unknown individual with a black balaclava and a grey Arm Slave pilot suit had been standing behind her. He had a Daewoo K1A1 carbine slinged on his back with a Picatinny railing placed on its receiver. Seina deduced that the masked Arm Slave pilot appeared to be in his middle to late teens.

"It appears that the operation was a success." The pilot walked towards her, setting the eyes of the A21 terrorists towards him very nervously with their weapons at the ready. "I must congratulate you."

"So you're the pilot of the Mistral II out there?" Seina asked. "Well in that case, I'll have to congratulate you first."

"Please." snickered the masked pilot. "I'm just doing what I have to do for today..."

* * *

Forests, near covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Two unknown individuals in light and dark gray sneaking suits, under stealth camouflage, watched as the RG-12s unloaded several armed soldiers, with IMI Galil SAR assault rifles at the ready. The two individuals noted that their faces were obscured by their PASGT helmets and some unknown goggles and respirators with white armor adorning their white suits and black boots.

"Either that's me..." whispered Sheila, who had her stealth camo unit deactivated as the vegetation were covering their presence. "Or that happens to be..."

"Yeah." Billy had his stealth unit deactivated as well, seeing that some of the masked men guarded the RG-12s while another group went inside the research center's main building. "Or those men belong to ENIGMA." The two agents activated their stealth camo units once they moved a bit in the forest to get a closer look on the ENIGMA RG-12 vehicles, still hiding with the tree trunks being used to cover their presence.

"What are they doing here?" Sheila unholstered her Walther P99 pistol and screwed a silencer on its barrel. "Are they the ones responsible for attacking the place?"

"Not sure." Billy replied, who had his P99 unholstered too with a silencer being placed on its barrel by the red-haired SEA operator.

**"Billy, Sheila." **Eve's voice was heard on their earpieces. **"What's the situation out here?"**

**"Not good." **Sheila replied to Eve. **"What's making the situation a bit uneasy is with ENIGMA soldiers in the area when we got here."**

**"ENIGMA, you say?"**

**"That's right." **Billy whispered. **"And we don't even know what's going on in there..."**

* * *

Staircase, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Unknown to Seina, the A21 terrorists and the ARGUS mercenaries, a lightly injured SOG soldier limped a bit since his left leg had received minor wounds from shrapnel and his right arm had been grazed by bullets.

"Got to get out of here." whispered the masked SOG commando. Having lost his Remington 870 shotgun during the gunfight, he had been able to escape with his life. "Need to warn HQ."

But as the soldier had arrived at the staircase landing to the first floor, the masked soldier had been greeted with a shotgun blast on his chest. He was slammed into the wall after being shot in the chest with a 12 gauge buckshot shell, dying the moment his body limped down on the floor, the wall painted with his blood.

"Looks like he won't be going anywhere." A Caucasian in his early '50s had an olive green BDU with a red beret, aviator shades, 12 gauge shell bandoliers and two holsters strapped on his legs. One of them had a holstered Winchester Model 1877 lever-action shotgun, which had been greatly customized for a sawn-off look and had a gold finish.

"Sir!" An ENIGMA soldier stood behind the mustached man, who had holstered the other sawn-off 1877 on his right leg holster. "The lobby and first floor's secured."

"Excellent." The beret-wearing man replied. "Secure the upper floors and let me know when you meet up with friendly forces. Understood?"

"Understood, Colonel Lysander." The ENIGMA soldier stood in attention and briefly saluted him before he signaled the other ENIGMA soldiers to charge up on the stairway, leading up to the rest of the research center's upper floors. While the soldiers were moving up the stairs, the man known as Lysander stood aside and leaned his back on the staircase's railing before he took out a Cuban cigar, which had its foreend removed before he took out a Zippo lighter and lit his cigar.

"Yep." Lysander grinned after he watched the last ENIGMA soldier rush up the stairs before placing the the cigar on his mouth. A few minutes later, he took the cigar out of his mouth and exhaled the smoke from his lungs. "This job's a bit easy in mind. I wish they gave me a harder job than this one."

Chapter 10 END

PS - As always, I hope this chapter was good. I've been watching a series from CBC Television in Vancouver called The Border. Kinda similar to 24, which is cool. So far so good, I liked the plot. You can view the site at www(dot)cbc(dot)ca/theborder to see it.

The story's gone to a 1000 hits. So as usual, I'd like to thank everyone who stopped by to read it, but a bigger thanks goes to those who took some time to review the story. Thanks guys! Really means a lot to me, but I hope more people would review the story this year! Same thing goes with those who placed Overwatch on their alerts and favs, though I got one fav, one C2 and 3 alerts. Oh well...

Chapter 10 is from the 9th episode of Victory Gundam. As of writing, I've yet to watch it. But I've heard about it and it rocks, so hopefully I could watch it by this year.

Just to let you guys know, I'm having Research Methods in Political Science, with the prof giving mandatory homework for every week and I have to submit it on a Friday. That means I may not be to update this story that I used to do last year. I may update this within weeks or months in order to do so. Just so that you peeps know. I'll probably need that time just to, well, catch up with work and hopefully do well this year with a B-. But that doesn't mean I'll abandon doing this, I just might upload work on this late. Meanwhile, I'll concentrate on that and hopefully, I can pull through the rest of the semester 'till April.

Well, my birthday's coming up the day after I have posted this (or the day itself that I posted it, whichever comes first). Feel free to add your birthday greetings to me alongside your review. However, I don't think I feel comfy to tell you guys (and gals) my age since I want to protect a part of my identity for now. So in a way, it's my method of saying thanks for you readers for reading it until now...

One more thing, I bumped Lysander's so-called "General" rank from Spy Fiction to Colonel since he's an ENIGMA crony despite him having a terrorist camp in South America in the game.


	11. Something Uninvited

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Seina wouldn't have to die after getting a metal beam slammed into her spinal cord area when she confronted Kalinin in the sinking George Clinton. She's a character who needs to be seen more in the FMP series, which I will do in the near future. But besides all of that, Takuma needs to die anyway. Such an ego-wanting brat, not to mention being boastful!

Summary:

With Tessa on the run with the unconscious Takuma Kugayama on her side alongside Allen Ishiba and Yang Jun-Kyu, Seina begins a manhunt to recover the said boy and get him to operate a machine that is simply known as the devil. Meanwhile, her A21 forces had been greatly bolstered by the arrival of ARGUS mercenaries and several veterans of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land and more recently, with the arrival of forces from an unknown terrorist group called ENIGMA. Does their presence spell trouble for MITHRIL as they have Kalinin under their custody? Will Sousuke be able to rescue Kalinin from A21 custody before its too late? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 11: Something Uninvited

Balcony, Unknown Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Oho ho ho ho. What's this?"

Peering through his ATN binoculars, Ronald saw that a 2001 Nissan Bluebird U14 sedan had parked in front of the apartment that housed Sousuke's safehouse.

_What the? The car's parked in front of Chofu Heights? _The Whispered SRT operator was startled to see Tessa entering the apartment with Allen escorting her before the latter had been seen giving out instructions to Yang in the sedan's driver's seat.

"That's odd." Ronald watched Yang park the U14 towards the direction of the apartment's rear parking section. "Why's Tessa here? And who's the kid that they're lugging around?" Ronald was alarmed that Allen had been handling an unconscious teenager, giving him many thoughts as to what was going on.

Confused as to what the situation is, Ronald went back inside his apartment safehouse to locate his SRT-issued transceiver set to radio the TDD-1.

"I better radio the TDD-1 and confirm her presence in Japan with some details."

* * *

Lobby, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"It's a shame that we came too late." Lysander walked towards the main lobby with the masked Mistral II Arm Slave pilot. "We were, a bit held up during the... planning phase of our operations."

"It's quite alright, Colonel Lysander. No need to worry about it, I assure you." The masked Arm Slave pilot grinned under his balaclava. "We pretty much handled the situation anyway."

"And where's this Ms. Seina anyway?" Lysander, his cigar between his left index and middle finder, began to wave it around as he gestured his left hand. "I heard she roughed up this facility like you did in order to look for this kid. Got some intel that the kid's been held up for a day before you guys decided to storm the place.."

"She's preparing to leave, unfortunately. I believe that we were able to catch ourselves a prisoner. Due to her circumstances, she won't be able to meet up with you today."

"Colonel Lysander." An ENIGMA soldier stood in front of Lysander and gave him a salute. "Transport's already prepped up to go, sir. We've received word that planes from the JASDF and the USFJ are en route to this area. All units are preparing to withdraw."

"I see." Lysander placed his cigar back into his mouth and adjusted his aviator shades. "Tell them to wait up for me. I'll be done in a few minutes."

"Sir!" The ENIGMA soldier then excused himself and went back to the RG-12 vehicles that were parked nearby, already packed with all of the ENIGMA troops that had recently raided the research center.

"Well, I have to go. It's nice to meet you, Colonel Lysander." The masked pilot said, taking his leave. "If you would excuse me..."

"Pardon me," Lysander said, removing the cigar from his mouth again. "I wasn't able to ask about your name."

The masked pilot turned his head over his left shoulder and replied to the Colonel's question.

"I'm better known as the Red Fox."

_The Red Fox? _Lysander eyed the pilot as he ran towards his kneeling Mistral II, who climbed it to gain access to the Arm Slave's cockpit. _If I'm right, that's the alias of a mercenary who fought in the events leading before and after the Zanzibar Land Independence War... Interesting. Looks like I could be working with a veteran of the Zanzibar Land Independence War. _

* * *

Street, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

The streets of Chofu, in particular the streets that led to the Tamagawa Mansion apartment, had been suddenly deserted at just 3:00 in the afternoon. The scene would be particularly unusual to any ordinary person, but not to Sousuke or Kaname.

_I wonder what happened to the civilians? _Sousuke looked around to see that the streets near Kaname's apartment were apparently deserted. _Were they all evacuated by JGSDF soldiers before we got here? If that's the case, I didn't receive any news about it._

_Yeah, I'm sure. _Kaname walked ahead of Sousuke, still having an angry expression at her face. _Probably some of the folks around here already have seen Mr. Sergeant's military tactics to "protect me" from any trouble and decided to leave before they could get into trouble..._

"Pardon me." Kaname stopped walking and turned her head slowly over her right shoulder, which made Sousuke a bit nervous. _Okayy... _"I'd like to apologize for not meeting up with you the other day for help on my Japanese assignment."

"You have some nerve, Sousuke." Kaname spoke to Sousuke through her gritted teeth. "First, you had the gall to not keep your promise yesterday and the next thing I know, you're trying to be nice to me." She sighed. _Since he came to the school this year, my life's been nothing but trouble..._

"But Ms. Chidori..." Sousuke tried to reason, which is the reason why Kaname had lost her temper with him.

"FIRST OF ALL!" Kaname shouted. "CALL ME KANAME! NOT MISS CHIDORI! AND SECOND, YOU'VE BEEN SUCH A PAIN IN MY BUTT THAT I WISH THAT YOU WEREN'T AROUND, YOU IDIOT!"

Sousuke only watched as Kaname angrily went back to the main entrance of the Tamagawa Mansion building before he went back to Chofu Heights apartment.

* * *

Outside Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

_Something's not right here..._

Noticing from the floor in front of the safehouse that the mailbox's lid was a bit open, Sousuke slowly placed the door key inside the door's keyhole before he slowly opened it.

"I can hear someone from the kitchen." Placing his school bag on the side near the shoe rack, Sousuke drew out his Glock 26 pistol from his left ankle holster and aimed it towards the direction of the kitchen. Making sure that he was walking slowly after removing his school shoes, Sousuke felt the tension towards him, not knowing who it was in the apartment, except that he was seeing three shadows.

"Now!" Making a mad dash, Sousuke leapt into the kitchen and did a combat roll. After executing the roll, he looked up and aimed his Glock 26 to who were suppose to be armed hostiles while kneeling. "Hold it right there!"

The problem was that two pistols were aimed at Sousuke by two seemingly familiar people, with a shocked and familiar 17-year old girl with them...

"It can't be..."

* * *

Grounds of covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

Above the airspace over the covert Defense Agency Research Center, eight figures had leaped out of the Kawasaki C-1A. They then touched down on the recently attacked research center, removing parachutes and oxygen masks after performing a HALO operation before securing their dropzone, in front of the main building.

"Einar, Kure!" Ding gave out the orders, sweeping the area with his Colt M4A1 carbine. "Get to the roof there on the barracks!" The team leader pointed to the tall, white building on the right side of the road. "Two of you provide sniper coverage on the road leading here and on the facility here."

"Understood." replied Einar. The Norwegian RAINBOW sniper led his Greek counterpart towards the barracks, getting up towards the roof via fire escape staircase.

"The rest of you." Ding raised his right index finger to his right temple and made a circular motion twice. "Form up on me. We're going in."

"Whoa!" Timothy winced a bit, seeing corpses of JGSDF soldiers killed. "Whoever was here must have had plenty of grunts to shoot the place up."

* * *

In the northern portion of the research center, Liquid had been in the forest of Yamanashi commanding a FOXHOUND squad with Ocelot, Sophie, Raven, Viper and Mantis. Minutes after conducting a HALO jump, their insertion had been undetected by the RAINBOW team.

"How much time we got before we leave the place?" Viper asked, speaking from the collar of his sneaking suit.

"We've got 10 minutes max." replied Liquid, advancing slowly through the forests. "That's all the Pentagon gave us since NSA had intercepted transmissions from the MIC that a squad of SOG commandos are on the way to secure the area."

"So our job's to find some intel on who the tangos are?" Ocelot whispered, hearing Liquid's orders. "Dang."

"Hold on." Raven advised, the team stopping in their tracks. "It seems someone's still breathing a bit," The Alaskan aboriginal giant pointed out someone seated on the ground with his back leaning on a tree trunk near the research center, his legs and chest visible to their view from the forests. "and he's not with the JGSDF."

Seeing a wounded A21 terrorist resting with his IZHMASH AK-47S assault rifle on his lap, Liquid signaled Sophie and Ocelot to sneak up on the armed man. The two FOXHOUND operatives sprang into action when Ocelot dashed in front of the armed tango and drew out his two Colt SAA revolvers, catching him unaware of his presence.

"I wouldn't bother." Sophie said coldly, aiming her Bul M5 Commander pistol at the armed tango's face.

"Good work." Liquid and the others had emerged out of the forests moments after Ocelot and Sophie had the A21 tango detained. "Ocelot. Go interrogate him."

"With pleasure." grinned the Russian cowboy wannabee.

"Hold it." Liquid snapped his left index and middle fingers together. "Mantis, go with Ocelot. Just in case."

"Of course." Mantis voiced his reply, still wearing his Shalon Model 4 gas mask.

Liquid turned his head over his left shoulder as he led the others to recon the area before entering the research center's main building. "And make sure Ocelot doesn't kill him, all right? Last thing we need is to talk to a dead corpse."

* * *

Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"My apologies to you all." Sousuke tucked his Glock 26 pistol into his Jindai High School autumn uniform. "If I wasn't careful, I would've shot one of you."

"It's all, Sergeant Sagara." Tessa waved her right hand left and right. "It's my fault that we came here unannounced."

"But what's..." Sousuke saw Allen and Yang cuff the unconscious boy onto the metal frame of a bed hidden by a curtain near the kitchen. "going on here, madam Captain?"

Tessa sighed, seated in the wooden chair in the dining area. She nervously watched Sousuke in a parade rest position before Yang and Allen joined up with Sousuke in the same position. _I suppose I can fill in some info. But on the other hand, uncle told me that I should keep most of the visit to the research center as classified. Only MITHRIL officers know about this case. But I wonder if Ronald does know..._

"I think I can fill you in on some information," Tessa was given a mug full of hot tea. "but I can't tell you some of the finer details. Intelligence has deemed it classified."

"It doesn't matter to me, Captain." Sousuke firmly replied. "As long as the information that you'll be giving me will help me understand the situation."

* * *

Conference Room, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

With the doors of the conference room opened wide, Ding and the other RAINBOW operators stormed inside with their M4A1s primed to fire at any hostile persons in the room.

"Clear!" Choi was the first to scan the room, including the seats and the stage that had a podium on it.

"Clear!" Timothy and Renee searched the rear of the conference room, where some gagged hostages had been found. "We've got hostages!" shouted Renee, who proceeded to untie one of the gagged scientists.

"Choi! Andrew!" Ding shouted to his RAINBOW comrades. "Help the others to untie the hostages!"

"Ding..." Antonio asked the mission leader. "So what do we do now since we've found the hostages?"

"One thing's for sure." Ding replied to the Italian RAINBOW operator. "We'll ask them about anything they know about the attacks on this place..."

* * *

Security Room, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

**"Anything?"** Liquid went over to Ocelot and Mantis using his earpiece. Raven and Viper were busy checking the corpses of the security guards shot and killed with multiple gunshot wounds on their bodies. Sophie went over the surveillance videos from camera feeds that were still intact prior to the raid.

**"Ocelot went on his hand to torture the damn guy." **Liquid heard Mantis sigh, while being motioned by Sophie to check on the video from the surveillance cameras. **"He went a bit overboard. Forced me to intervene..."**

**"And what happened then?" **Sophie pointed out to Liquid the presence of Seina on one of the surveillance video feeds with a person wearing a balaclava and an all black Arm Slave pilot suit. Nearby was Lysander, speaking to the former. **"Did you get any useful information out of him?" **Liquid also noted, from the surveillance video, an ARGUS mercenary and a ENIGMA soldier.

**"I managed to hypnotize the guy." **came the reply of the ex-KGB psychic agent. **"Got some information from him. I almost made him into a vegetable when I dove too much into his mind to get more info from him."**

_I don't know who's worse. Mantis turning people into vegetables anytime soon or Ocelot's uncanny skill of torturing people to their deaths? _Liquid sighed, studying the ARGUS mercenary standing next to Seina. _An ARGUS mercenary? Looks like someone's hiring them as foot soldiers. _

"Looks like ARGUS' presence is confirmed." Sophie commented on the video. "The company's name on their tactical vest completely gave it all away."

"Good work." Liquid replied. "Sophie, see if we can get some copies of this right away. I want the ones with the ARGUS mercenaries in them. We'll need to show these to the Pentagon later on."

"Understood." Sophie nodded.

Raven approached Liquid after he was done speaking to Sophie. "These guards didn't know what hit them. They were killed hard and fast, most likely to prevent them from calling in additional reinforcements."

"I see." Liquid sighed and nodded. "Let's clean up after we're done and get out of here. We need to leave before we get into trouble."

"Okay." Raven replied.

"Remember, don't leave any trace that can potentially incriminate us of our presence here."

* * *

Server Room, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"You done yet?" Decloaking her stealth camouflage unit, Sheila stood guard with her Walther P99 at the ready as she stood near Billy as she used one of the server racks for cover. "I just hope we can get back to the SEA before anyone knows we've been here."

"Don't worry about it, Sheila." Billy was busy downloading several files from a desktop computer on a portable external hard disk drive that he took out from the rear pouch placed on his sneaking suit. "Have patience. It's only 4 minutes left to go before we're done down in the server room."

"Whatever they were doing here." Sheila commented, still watching the main door to the server room. "The facility sure had a lot of JGSDF troops and vehicles to keep something away from the public eye."

Billy worked on the desktop computer, listening to his comrade's rant. "I agree. Okay, 50 seconds left."

"All right." Sheila knelt down and began to use her earpiece to make contact with SEA Japan's headquarters. **"Coyote to Base. Coyote to Base. Do you copy?"**

"I got the stuff." Billy said, kneeling on the ground next to her and patting her on her right shoulder. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"So that's what happened back there."

Sousuke heard the information Tessa had told him regarding the attack on the covert Defense Agency facility and the possible capture of Kalinin by unknown forces that had laid siege to the area.

"According to what the Captain has seen so far back in the research center," Yang explained the situation further to his SRT colleague. "It seemed that a ragtag bunch of armed gunmen had support from a highly trained paramilitary group coupled out with veterans of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land."

"Outer Heaven?" Sousuke whispered, shocked. "And Zanzibar Land? It can't be. It can't be right."

Tessa studied Sousuke's eyes and saw confusion. _Mr. Sagara? Do you know these people? And for how long?_

"That's not all." Allen stood next to Yang. Like his two SRT counterparts, he was still in his parade rest position. "We've spotted one of the Arm Slaves that attacked the facility. It was a Mistral II that had a gray finish all over."

_Could it be him? Only he could have that kind of color. _Sousuke pondered hard on who the upcoming adversary.

"Well, there's no need to worry about it." Tessa sighed and stood up from her chair. "Next thing we need to do is to rest and conserve our energy. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am!" replied the SRT/PRT soldiers in unison.

"Dismissed for now." Tessa went off for the direction of the bathroom. Before she did that, the TDD-1 commanding officer faced Sousuke. "Sergeant Sagara?"

"Yes?" The scarred SRT operator faced Tessa.

"Do you mind if I used the shower?"

* * *

Conference Room, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"All right." Ding signaled to his fellow RAINBOW operators. "We're done, so prepare to move out."

**"Alpha team, come in." **Kure's voice came through his radio. **"I've got incoming birds approaching the area from 12 o' clock."**

**"JASDF choppers?"**

**"No. This one has American markings on it. Probably from Yokota."**

**"All right. Head to the extraction on the east side of the facility. There's a clearing that we can use for a JASDF chopper to get us extracted. Leave with Einar when you're done observing, Bravo Team."**

**"Understood."**

**"Try not to get your cover blown. Alpha Team out." **

"Choi, Renee." Ding, done with his transmission, called on two RAINBOW operators after they have debriefed and untied the hostages. "You guys done?"

"Yeah." Renee nodded. "They told us that the facility had been hit fast by two Arm Slaves before an unknown number of armed men had stormed the place from all sides. Most of the center's security didn't have much time to fight back since they were quickly overwhelmed."

"Did you ask what the facility have that they could be after?" Ding asked, wanting to get details. _So the research center had been overwhelmed with force by numbers? Usually guerrilla-trained forces do that kind of stunt. But in Japan? Only perhaps the Japanese Red Army can do that. But I haven't heard any news of them aside from the various infightings that resulted in bloody executions. _"Especially with anything that could have been very valuable to these armed forces?"

"Didn't say much." Choi answered. "Though they said much of what they were told is top secret, all they can say is that a teenager was kept prisoner here for a day."

"I see." Ding then received a radio transmission from the snipers. **"Alpha Team leader, I suggest we move. The birds from Yokota are already in the vicinity. Suggest we withdraw at once." **Einar's voice came through Ding's radio.

**"Copy that." **Ding motioned Andrew to come see him. **"Make your way to the extraction site and hold there 'til we arrive."**

**"Understood." **

"Make sure that the hostages get out of here as soon as you can." Ding gave the British RAINBOW operator his instructions after he ended his radio transmission with the sniper team. "We'll sneak out of the facility while another force will attend to them."

"Right." Andrew nodded.

* * *

Main Lobby, covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"The circumstances of the facility being attacked are getting stranger and stranger by the minute." Liquid pondered on his thoughts as he was about to exit the research center's main building with the rest of the FOXHOUND unit after they have conducted recon on the facility. "And I need a reason why it was attacked."

So far, Liquid had seen from the security footage that a bunch of guerrilla-style attacks had begun on the facility with some SWAT-style equipped men that stormed the facility, killing off several JGSDF soldiers. He also saw two Arm Slaves, a Savage and a Mistral II, riddling the entire research center with its assault rifles.

"I know that it does sound strange." Sophie was with Liquid as several USAF Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk choppers landed in front of the main building. "But I studied the footage and made some lip reading based on it."

"Go on, I'm listening." Liquid raised his eyebrow, curious as to what his subordinate knows so far.

"She mentioned something about Takuma," The purple-haired woman frowned a bit. "and something about a devil."

Liquid's curiosity piped up more and more when Sophie mentioned the details. Nearby, several US Navy SEALs secured the landing area and the choppers after disembarking from the UH-60Ls. _Whoever did this must have had quite such a backer to stage such as attack like this. Anyway, we'll need to head back to Yokota and figure out about this "devil". Probably a codename for a machine, perhaps an Arm Slave that we haven't heard of..._

"Everyone! Get in!" Liquid shouted as the chopper rotors were giving the FOXHOUND CO a hard time in talking to his subordinates. He then saw Mantis stare back at the building as the other FOXHOUND operators boarded the UH-60Ls.

"Mantis." Liquid called to his Soviet subordinate. "Is something the matter?"

"There were others in here a while ago." Mantis replied. "I felt their presence a while ago."

"Who were they?"

Mantis shook his head. "They weren't a threat. They were here too for the same reasons like we did."

Liquid accompanied Mantis back to the UH-60L. "Do you know who they happened to be?"

Mantis stopped walking and faced Liquid. "RAINBOW and an unknown organization."

* * *

Forests, near covert Japanese Defense Agency Research Center, somewhere in Yamanashi, Japan

"So far, so good." Ding went through the forest foliage with Antonio and Choi. Renee, Andrew and Timothy were busy covering their rears and eyeing for any possibility that their exfiltration might have been spotted.

**"We haven't been spotted yet." **Timothy reported back to Ding on his radio.

**"Good work."**Ding complimented the Australian RAINBOW operator on his work. **"Continue watching our rear, then follow us."**

**"Got it." **Ding then proceeded to make radio contact with the snipers. **"Come in, Brave team. Has the LZ been secured?"**

**"This is Bravo."** Einar answered Ding's transmission. **"LZ's secured. Birds are en route to the area for 3 more minutes."**

**"Understood. Alpha out."**

* * *

Kitchen, Maison K Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Come on, pick up." Disturbed by Tessa's presence near Sousuke's safehouse, Ronald had taken his Nokia 8210 and dialed Shinji's mobile phone number.

**"Shinji speaking."**

**"Thank goodness." **Ronald exhaled, glad to hear Shinji answered. **"Listen. Can you get to the safehouse? I need to speak to you."**

**"Well, what a coincidence this is." **Shinji chuckled on his line. **"It just so happens that I'm near your safehouse since I stopped by a manga store to pick up some Mei Sai Kun manga. Don't worry, I can be there in a few minutes."**

**"Thanks, Shinji." **Ronald then terminated the call and went to his quarters. But before he could enter it, the doorbell had been heard in the apartment.

DING DONG!

"Is it him?" Picking up his New Nambu M-57A pistol, Ronald held it by his left hand and hid the pistol behind his back. Peering through the door's peephole, the Chinese-Filipino breathed a sigh of relief when he found out who it was that rang the doorbell.

"Shinji..." Ronald unlocked the deadbolt and door chain to admit his friend in. "Glad you made it."

"Likewise." Shinji entered the apartment and removed his shoes before setting his bag near the shoe rack. "Got here as soon as I can. What's going in?"

"I'm not sure." Ronald shrugged, heading back to the kitchen with Shinji after replacing his M-57A back on the study table back in his room. The supposedly otaku student of Jindai High noted that the kitchen had a clean look; the wooden rectangular table had a tablecloth on it with the floor having tiles instead of wood. The kitchen counters appeared to be made with tiles as well.

"Is it something important?" Shinji removed his glasses after he sat down on the chair.

"Yeah." Ronald handed Shinji a glass of water. "Ansuz's here." Shinji choked on his saliva before he could drink his water. "I just spotted here heading to Uruz 7's safehouse a few minutes ago."

"What's she here for?" Shinji asked. "Did you try to contact TDD-1?"

"Yeah." Ronald sat down in a chair in front of Shinji. "I did try to ask, but Mardukas was on the line. Told me that it was classified."

"Despite that," Shinji had finished the contents of his glass. "I have a feeling something's about to go down."

* * *

Kitchen, Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

With Tessa busy taking her shower and with the teen's unconscious body being attended to by Allen and Yang, Sousuke sat down in front of a radio transceiver near the kitchen table as he tried to make urgent radio contact with the TDD-1.

**"TDD-1, come in. This is Urzu 7 with an urgent communciation. I repeat, this is Uruz 7 with an urgent communication, over."  
**

"Any luck?" Yang emerged out of the curtain-raised room, minutes after leaving Allen to check on the cuffed teen.

"No luck." Sousuke took off his headset after trying to contact the TDD-1 a few times. "So far, I got nothing but static over and over again."

"Either no one's at the comm room of the TDD-1 or maybe there's radio silence being implemented by Commander Mardukas." Yang explained his answer as to why no radio contact with the TDD-1 had been established.

DING DING!

"Who's that?" Yang drew out his Heckler and Koch P7M13 from his pistol shoulder holster.

"Get back." Sousuke whispered, taking the Glock 19 pistol from the table. "I'll take care of this." Gripping his sidearm on his left hand, Sousuke checked the peephole to see who it was outside.

"How is he?" Yang asked Allen, who had his head visible from the room where the teen had been held.

"So far," Allen replied. "he doesn't want anything to eat. I'll stay here and check on him."

* * *

Hallway, Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

_Kaname? But what's she doing here at a time like this? _Sousuke decided to open the front door to see Kaname, who had the bracelet that he gave to her a while ago. She had been wearing civilian clothes also, with a colored shirt and dark blue shorts. _I see that she had the bracelet, much less after the flashbang fiasco that I received after classes ended._

"What are you doing here?" Sousuke asked, his pistol still hidden behind his back. "I didn't recall that you'd be coming by at this time."

"Um..." Kaname began to stutter a bit. _Darn it! Here I am trying to say I'm sorry and I'm shaking in my shoes. _Sousuke saw that she also had something hidden behind her back. "I...umm...I..." Kaname then did the one thing that she never thought that she would have to do.

She apologized to Sousuke.

By bowing in front of him.

"Ano, Kaname. You don't have to-" Sousuke tried to stop her, but he couldn't do so.

"I'm sorry." Kaname said, bowing in front of Sousuke. "Really, I am."

Sousuke smiled, seeing that she bought a tall bento box behind her. "No, you don't have to." He shook his head. "You shouldn't have to apologize. All of it was my fault when I came to your school."

"Really?" Kaname was startled by Sousuke's words. "But Sousuke, I-"

"If you apologize," Sousuke explained. "then where will I be? After all, I did all of those things without any consideration of you."

"You mean it?" Kaname showed the bento box she had behind her. "Here. Remember a while back at lunch? I brought some with me. Do you want to eat?"

Sousuke smiled, but suddenly frowned a bit. _Oh no! I almost forgot, the Captain and the others..._

"Hold on, Kaname!" Sousuke blocked her way before she could take off her shoes.

"Is something the matter?" Kaname saw that Sousuke was heavily sweating. "Did you already eat dinner?"

"Uh, yes!" Sousuke answered, still sweating. "Er, what I mean is that... I really appreciate it. Really I do, Kaname. But..."

"Is something the matter out there, Sergeant Sagara?"

Sousuke slowly turned around to see who it was.

Slowly, he turned his head over his left shoulder to see Tessa out of the shower. What made the situation was that she had nothing but a towel that covered her entire body.

* * *

Kitchen, Maison K Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Hey Ronald!" Shinji called to Ronald from the kitchen, eating some Calbee barbecue potato chips for a bit before he heard someone scream.

"What now?" Ronald poked his head out from his room. "I'm trying to get contact with TDD-1 right now. Is there something that you need?"

"Did you hear something a while ago?" Shinji asked, using his thumb to point the direction of the balcony nearby. "I just heard someone scream in Sousuke's safehouse. And I swore that it really sounded like Kaname..."

Ronald frowned, scratching his left eyebrow. "You know, you're right. Come to think of it, I kinda swore that I heard it was Kaname."

"If that's the case," Shinji frowned as well, thinking. "then what..."

Ronald simply shrugged his shoulders. "Your guess is as good as mine."

* * *

Kitchen, Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

Kaname angrily watched as Tessa, now wearing a green shirt and blue shorts, had finished eating the last piece of Maguro sushi that she brought over. Yang and Allen were also eating the food that Kaname brought in, feeling a bit nervous for her staring at them.

"I need some answers, Sousuke." Kaname said before she stood up and slammed her hands on the kitchen table. "And I want them now!"

"Remember the stuff that I told you back in North Korea?" Sousuke told his classmate. "I thought I..." Sousuke then decided to keep quiet when Kaname glared at him.

"Yeah, as if I'll believe that the girl next to you is your commanding officer and these guys are your comrades, right?"

"Madam captain." Sousuke spoke to Tessa, drinking her green tea. "Um, madam captain?"

"Yes, Sergeant Sagara?" She said, facing her subordinate. Sousuke didn't understand how, despite the awkwardness of Kaname glaring at him, Yang and Allen that the captain can be so calm.

"I would appreciate it if you could explain to her about your situation." Sousuke said, eyes shifted to see his SRT/PRT colleagues. When he saw Yang and Allen nod vigorously in unison, Tessa began to speak up for her subordinates.

"Let's see..." Tessa began to count with her fingers. "I'm in charge of, what's that? A submarine. Then, I'm a captain with the military and I'm also their boss." She ended her introduction wit a smile. However, it did Sousuke and the others no good as Kaname continued to glare at them still.

"Captain..." Sousuke whispered, hint of desperation in his voice.

"Yes, Sergeant Sagara?" Tessa smiled when she addressed Sousuke. "Is something the matter?"

Sousuke, Yang and Allen could only break the situation up by sweating instead...

* * *

Somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

Walking in the shopping district of Chofu, a man in his early '30s with a brown bomber jacket zipped up, dark blue jeans and black Oakley S.I. boots had been casually observing the area as he can see it.

"So this is Japan, eh?" The man murmured, running his right hand all over his brown hair. "According to the files I obtained about Big Boss, I have some Japanese relatives around here..."

"Hey, is that you?"

Turning his head around, the man saw that a Caucasian man in his '30s stood behind him with short black hair. He had a black bomber jacket, brown pants and Converse hiking shoes. "Man, it is you. I really knew it. I haven't seen you a while, David."

David grinned. "Haven't seen you too, Jack." The two exchanged high fives and handshakes. "What's with you? Haven't seen you since the Persian Gulf."

"Yeah." Jack nodded. "I'm stationed in Misawa a year ago. Today's my leave from the base."

"I see." David chuckled. "Having a good time so far?"

"Indeed. I just went around for sightseeing in Tokyo." Jack grinned. "But hey, when did you arrive?"

"Just today." David rubbed the back of his neck. "I came in here via transit from Anchorage."

"So that's where you've been huh?" Jack asked. "You became really popular with the guys back in the Green Berets since you did those FOXHOUND missions in Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land."

"Yeah." David sighed. "But I don't want to talk about ask of those stuff right now."

Jack nodded a bit. "Understood. So are you here on vacation?"

"Yeah."

"I remember hearing from you that you got some Japanese ancestry."

"Ah..." David waved a hand in front of his friend. "Don't worry about it. Like I told you before, a lot of people raised me." He then snapped his right thumb and middle finger together. "Besides, I learned Japanese when I was a kid. So, there's no problem there."

"Well..." Jack glanced at his wristwatch. "I have to go. I got base duty back at 11 in the morning."

"Subway?" David asked.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "You'll be alright?"

"I'll be."

"Right." Jack went towards the direction of the subway in the Chofu area. "Gotta go. See ya soon."

"See ya." David waved goodbye to his longtime friend from his Green Beret days, but he winced a bit when he some sort of shout before it died down.

"What the heck was that?" David sighed, scratching his cheek. "And I thought I'd be here for a vacation ever since I left FOXHOUND and settled in Alaska..."

* * *

Kitchen, Tigers Mansion Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"URHAAAAA!"

Kaname became startled, hearing the screams of Takuma from the room where he had been handcuffed. _Who the heck shouted?_

"Stay here." Sousuke motioned to Yang and Allen to go with him and check out Takuma. Moments later, more shouting had been heard before a loud smacking sound was heard. "Let's move!" Sousuke was the first to barge into the room with Allen following him and Yang closing in, guarding their backs.

"What was that?" When Kaname went to the doorway that had been covered by a curtain, she was shocked by what awaited her.

"Kaname! What are you doing?" Sousuke shouted. Standing in front of the doorway that led to a room with no windows, Kaname saw an unconscious teenager whose wrists were cuffed to the bed's metallic footboard. She also saw Sousuke aiming his Glock 19 at the teen with Allen pointing his SIG Pro SP 2009 at the cuffed figure. Yang, kneeling nearby, had been seen with his right hand formed up for a karate chop before he started to check on his pulse.

"What the heck's wrong with you-" Kaname began to scold the three. But Yang was the first to address her.

"This isn't an ordinary boy!" Yang said, refuting Kaname. "This boy's a known terrorist and a member of A21. We've been lucky to escape alive back in the afternoon with him."

"A21?" Kaname stopped and thought of the name Yang told her about. "You mean that group that tried to help reform juvenile delinquents? But how..."

"There's no time to explain." Yang checked the boy's pulse before he eyed a lump on his left hand. "Sousuke, Allen. Over here."

"What is it?" Sousuke asked, kneeling with Allen next to the South Korean SRT operator.

"Here." Yang pointed to Sousuke the lump that he saw on the teen's right bicep. "I spotted it. What do you guys think?"

"I'm not sure..." Sousuke pondered on the lump. "Unless..."

"I'll get to it, guys..." Allen stood up and went out to the kitchen to call on Tessa.

"What's...going on here?" Kaname whispered, confused to the events that played out before her eyes.

* * *

"It has to be a sort of transmitter." Tessa used her left index and middle fingers to touch the lump on the teen's arms after Allen and Yang took the cuffs off his wrist. "It feels...a bit too metallic when I touched it."

"What do we do, Captain?" Sousuke asked his commanding officer. Kaname had joined in the conversation, listening in while Sousuke, Yang and Allen were figuring out a way to disarm the so-called transmitter on his right bicep.

"We have to disable it." Tessa spoke to Sousuke. "Sooner or later, his colleagues will try to pick up the trail ever since Corporal Yang and Sergeant Ishiba were able to help me bring him here alive from the research center."

"I have a surgical kit with me, captain." Sousuke said to Tessa. "I can take it out of his bicep."

"Hold on just a second, Sagara! That's not the way to do it, especially for this situation." Allen voiced his objection to Sousuke. "First of all, we don't have any kind of anesthetic agent with us. Second, he'll bleed to death while we try to remove the transmitter. If he dies due to a lot of blood loss, he won't be able to be a source of intelligence value that we can use to locate Commander Kalinin."

Sousuke reflected on his comrade's thoughts. He knew Allen was right. Sousuke couldn't simply get the surgical tools and operate on the teen without considering the lack of necessary anesthetic agents nor any item that can hold off bleeding if he has to open up the unconscious teen's right bicep. On the other hand, Kalinin had been captured by A21 forces and he needed to figure where he is and where is A21 holding him.

"Um, excuse me?" Kaname raised her hand. "But if I may..."

"Kaname." Sousuke spoke to her. "We don't have time right now..."

"Hold on." Kaname waved her hands around. "I was only going to give a suggestion."

"A suggestion?" Sousuke was confused.

"Yeah." Kaname pointed to the microwave behind her. "We can use that."

"A microwave?" Sousuke murmured.

"Of course." Kaname went to the microwave and opened it; Tessa had Allen and Yang carry the teen's body near the microwave. Kaname took the teen's right bicep and positioned it inside the microwave. "Microwaves use microwave energy. So if an electronic item is exposed for," Kaname pressed some buttons on the microwave controls. "5 seconds maybe."

Sousuke, even down to Tessa and the other SRT/PRT operators, waited for 5 full seconds to be completed before the bell sound rang, indicating that the microwave's time was already over.

"Alright. Done."

"Wow." Tessa saw Kaname's handiwork in disabling the teen's transmitter on his right bicep. "I never really knew that there was a reckless way to go around it."

"That did the job, right?" Kaname said, taking the empty bento box and leaving when Allen grabbed her by the shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but you can't leave since you know about your situation." Allen said. "We're going to have to detain you for a while."

"Hey now!" Kaname shouted again. "Wait a second, I didn't ask for any of this."

"We can't stay here for long, Ms. Kaname." Yang spoke up to Kaname and Tessa. "Madam captain, I suggest we move out. There could be something who's trying to check on him. In that's the case, we're not safe here anymore."

"Wait a second-" Kaname was about to object when Tessa firmly stood up after kneeling next to Sousuke and spoke seriously to Kaname.

"It may not like it, but I am their commanding officer. I'm sorry if I wasn't that serious since I was trying to lighten the mood. But right now Ms. Kaname, Corporal Yang is correct. Please come with us."

Kaname sighed, placing her hands on her hips. "All right. I'll come along. But that's only because you asked me to."

* * *

Kitchen, Maison K Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Something wrong." Shinji watched from the kitchen window and saw Sousuke, Yang and Allen were preparing small arms on the kitchen table. He saw that Yang and Allen had their pistols in their shoulder holsters with Sousuke preparing a Steyr SPP submachine gun. "Lots of movement on the other side."

"They're moving." Ronald dashed into the kitchen and moved his head to the direction of his quarters.

"Do we know where they're going?" Shinji asked as he went inside Ronald's room.

* * *

Ronald's Quarters, Maison K Apartment Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Not sure." Ronald said, having his weapons and equipment scattered on his bed. The bedding had been covered by a blue tarp. "I was able to sneak in a bug onto Sousuke's shoes while he wasn't looking. Said something about Jindai, I think."

"Let me guess." Shinji took his glasses off and kept them in the school bag that he placed near the shoe rack before coming back inside. "You placed it under orders of the Admiral?"

Ronald nodded, "I admit that the Admiral told me via proxy in Sydney to do that." He then handed Shinji's Armored Muscle Suit to Shinji before he removed his Jindai High autumn uniform. "However, we don't have time to argue. Take the suit."

"Right." Shinji took off his Jindai High uniform and wore the suit before putting on a balaclava. "Can't forget this. By the way, you're managing my weapons that you got transferred from TDD-1?"

"Yeah." Ronald, after wearing his Armored Machine Suit and a tactical vest with a mounted pistol holster, wore his balaclava. "I activated the bug's freqency, so you can listen I while I get our stuff ready." Shinji saw the transceiver on a wooden longtable with Ronald's school bag placed nearby.

**"So where will be going, Sergeant?" **said Tessa. Ronald pulled the M-57A's slide and checked its 16-round magazine before placing into his holster with four extra 16-round magazines.

**"We'll head for Jindai High, captain. It should be safe there." **Sousuke's voice came up on the frequency. Ronald loaded a 30-round translucent magazine into a bullpup assault rifle that seemed to have a metallic-like appearance.

"Here's yours." Placing the rifle on the tarp-covered bed, Ronald went into his closet to take out the same rifle that he had prepared for Shinji.

"Is this the Singapore Advanced Combat Rifle?" Shinji nearly cried over excitement. "Oh my god! I thought I'd never a working weapon like this in my life ever."

Ronald sighed. _If he can just get out his dang otakuness. _"I had a hard time obtaining these guys. They were suppose to be destroyed when the SAR-21s came to adoption by the SAF."

**"You sure it's okay to be here, Sagara?" **Ronald can hear the doubt in Allen's voice. **"I mean, we can be easily caught here."**

**"Don't worry about it. No one should be around Jindai High at night. Besides, I'll take care of it." **Ronald handed Shinji a Heckler and Koch P2000 pistol before clipping a radio extender on his waist and placed its earpiece on his left ear. "Take it. Your pistol's already loaded with 13 rounds. Rest of the extra mags are in your vest."

"Now that we're done." Shinji holstered his sidearm. "How do we get to Jindai with the stuff we're carrying?"

**"I just hope that you're about what you're up to, Sagara." **Yang's voice came up on the bug's frequency.

"All we need to do," Ronald went over to the transceiver and switched it off. "is to get to Jindai High by using the dark streets nearby and hope that no one would spot two persons with armored muscle suits with assault rifles slinged on their shoulders." Shinji took the radio extender on the bed and clipped it on his waist. He then inserted the bud of the earpiece on his right ear.

"I hope you're right, Ronald." Shinji stretched his back.

"I'll just go in here..." Ronald went back to the closet when Shinji grabbed his arm.

"No need." Shinji shook his head. "I know my way around the area. We won't need those NVGs."

Ronald shrugged his shoulders. "Lead the way, my friend."

"No problem." Shinji gave the two-finger salute. "I just hope we won't run into anybody."

"Yeah." Ronald went out of the room and walked towards the front door. "First thing we need to do first is to use the apartment's fire escape..."

* * *

Somewhere near Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"What the heck's going on there?"

David watched as the 2001 Nissan Bluebird U14 had entered the gates of Jindai High after he observed Sousuke opening the gate by climbing over it. Seeing Sousuke motioning to the car to get inside, David hid himself by observing the situation by peeking from a corner.

"I don't know why," David exhaled his breath. "but something's funny. And it's not about people who're getting to school for a night education."

David's mind began to debate while the gates of Jindai were closed shut. Part of him, having the soldier's instinct from within, wanted to get inside the school and check things out. On the other hand, David happened to a be a tourist visiting Japan for a few days and he didn't want to be involved in anything else except to mind his own business.

_Ah dang it... _Staring at the Jindai High building that had been illuminated by the moonlight, David began to sweat while he stood nearby. _I'm just in Japan for a vacation after leaving FOXHOUND..._

"Never mind." Gritting his teeth, David made a mad dash towards the closed gates before he jumped on it.

"Damn." mumured David, gripping the metal bars of the gate with dear life. "Never felt this worse ever since attending FOXHOUND bootcamp with the Hell Master..."

Moving his body upward, the American kept climbing up until he had his left leg over the gate.

"Now." Moving his right leg to the other side of the gate, which was inside Jindai High, David slowly let go of the metal bars. He then made a soft landing by positioning his feet to ensure that he doesn't make any noise with his hands helping him keep balance so as not to tumble on the ground.

"Just like Zanzibar..." chuckled David before he ran towards the main building, keeping close to the shadows in order to maintain a low profile. "Now to see what's really going in with this place."

* * *

Briefing Room, Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Tokyo, Japan

"All right, everyone! Listen up!"

Liquid, in Yokota Air Base's briefing room, had assembled all of the FOXHOUND operators after their recon mission in the covert Defense Agency research center in Yamanashi. The blonde man had called up on his comrades after he had a discussion with the Pentagon regarding their finding.

"Before I start the meeting," Liquid glared at Ocelot and Mantis. "I would want to remind you two that you had best be careful when interrogating our suspects during any of our missions. Remember the last time when we were deployed in central Africa, Ocelot? I trust that you still remembered what I told you about torturing anyone to death?"

Ocelot did his two-finger salute on his two hands, letting the index and middle fingers on his right hand move a bit forward with the same fingers on his left hand near his chest. "Roger that, boss. Really, I didn't mean to kill him during the torture session."

Liquid eyed Mantis with his glares. _Never mind. _"That goes double for you too, Mantis. Last thing I want to present is someone who'd been a vegetable." Mantis simply nodded.

"Now according to the information we got from Mantis' handiwork," Liquid said, going over some satellite photos of a wharf. "we've got a fix on A21's base of operations here in Japan."

"If I'm not mistaken." Raven observed the satellite photo shown on the projector. "That area is the Aomi Wharf."

Liquid nodded, "You're correct there." A few minutes later, the projector had a satellite photo that focused on a particular tanker docked in the wharf. "We've got a visual on this tanker yesterday. According to information obtained from the Maritime Safety Agency, the MIC and the Public Security Intelligence Agency, the ship's been identified as the George Clinton."

"Where has it been registered?" Owl asked, reclining on his chair. His marionette puppets had been nearby, standing behind Owl's chair.

"According to shipping records," Liquid answered Owl's question. "the George Clinton had been registered in Panama since two years ago."

"So what's our next step?" Ocelot asked. "If we know who those guys are based there, shouldn't we be launching an assault on it?"

"I know." Liquid said, agreeing with Ocelot. "However, the Pentagon wants us to avoid any civilian casualties." Ocelot frowned at his words. "After all, it is a civilian wharf."

"Right. Whatever." Ocelot waved his hand in front of Liquid.

"Not only do we have some complications over the George Clinton's presence in a civilian area," Liquid continued on. "but there's some word passed on me that RAINBOW forces are here. Most likely passed onto me by the Pentagon as well."

Mantis spoke up, his breathing heard from his respirator. "I was right. RAINBOW was here too for a recon mission." The Soviet psychic frowned, scratching his forehead. "But there was also another team inside the facility while we were conducting recon."

Liquid looked at Mantis, "Do you know who they are?" Mantis shook his head. "I understand."

"What about the ARGUS personnel?" Sophie asked. "Are we doing something about them? They can complicate the mission later on."

"As we speak." Liquid said, the projector showing more photos of the docked George Clinton. "Pentagon's passed the information to the Secretary of Defense. Last time I got in touch with the Pentagon, Secretary of Justice has already opened up an investigation against the ARGUS Corporation. But I have a feeling that their lawyers are prepared to throw everything against the Attorney General to have the case dropped against the company."

"Figures." Bison huffed. "Damn lawyers."

"Unfortunately." Liquid understood Bison's sentiments. "There's nothing we can do from here on. Only thing we can do for now is to come up with more convincing evidence in hopes of getting a case against the ARGUS Corporation."

"So when do we mount an assault on the George Clinton?" Wolf asked, seated next to Sophie. "Surely maybe we can conduct some reconnaissance."

"Under orders from the Pentagon." Liquid answered the sniper's question. "We're to conduct another joint operation with RAINBOW forces in Japan." He stared at the wall clock inside the briefing room. "They should be arriving within 10 minutes or so."

"The question I'd like to know is why they were conducting the recon operation in Yamanashi? In secret, in particular." Wolf again raised her concerns.

"Me thinks they wanted to conduct their own operation." Owl replied. "Or perhaps they're just scared of us."

"Could be." Liquid spoke to Owl. "Anyway, I've got some information on the facility itself."

"I'm all ears." Ocelot grinned. The others had nodded as well.

"CIA managed to pass the information to us." Liquid showed a brown folder that he took from the conference table in front of him. "According to intel, a boy in his middle teens had been kept there in the custody of the Defense Agency facility since yesterday."

"Why a kid like him?" Ocelot was surprised.

"Yes." Sophie voiced her concern. "What does the JSDF want with him?"

"Remember the incident in the New Tokyo Airport?" Liquid asked. Seeing collective nods, he continued to debrief his FOXHOUND team. "When a medical checkup had been conducted on him after he was detained," The projector showed the photos of a gray-haired boy being cuffed by policemen. "they found some drugs in his system. Apparently Type Ti970."

"If I'm not mistaken," Owl was the first to speak up on after Liquid spoke of the Ti970. "That's a drug meant to artifically enhance normal people to be able to use Arm Slaves with Lamba Drivers."

"Yes, indeed." Liquid debriefed on the boy shown on the projector. "As for the boy, CIA found out information about him. Name's Takuma Kugayama. Orphaned at a young age. He had an elder sister, who was killed by Takuma at a young age."

Seeing as to Wolf and Sophie expressing disgust as to how Takuma could've done it, the British FOXHOUND commander continued to speak. "Adopted by Seina in his early teens. Had been seen with her in Pakistan to be trained in using various Arm Slaves before an ISI team spotted him heading over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border into Afghan rebel territory in the Tora Bora mountains."

The projector continued to show more photos of Takuma, mostly from pictures seen in the New Tokyo Airport after being pinned on the ground by airport policemen. "He's been last spotted in Canada, the US, Britain, the Philippines and Hong Kong before he last returned to Japan. So far, interrogation provided no details as Takuma refused to cooperate."

"Excuse me, sir."

Looking at the door that was a bit opened, a female Japanese civilian employee poked her head inside.

"Yes?" Liquid replied, tapping his fingers on the conference table.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your debriefing, sir." The employee began to explain her presence. "But Mr. Chavez and the others have arrived 5 minutes earlier than expected in Yokota. Should I let them in here, sir?"

"Of course." Liquid replied. "Let them into the briefing room as soon as they're ready."

"Understood, sir. Please excuse me." The employee bowed before she excused herself, closing the door to the briefing room. Moments later, Ding had been admitted by the employee alongside the other RAINBOW operators who have previously participated in the recon operation in the research center in Yamanashi.

"It's a pleasure to be working with you once again after our last joint operation together back in North Korea." Ding saluted Liquid, who had been wearing his American Woodland BDU. The other RAINBOW operators, who were also wearing their American Woodland BDUs, gave Liquid a salute as well.

"No need to thank me." Liquid grinned, saluting back to acknowledge the salute of the RAINBOW team. "But the pleasure's all mine. Really."

After Liquid personally directed to the RAINBOW team members to take their seats, he then called to their attention before he continued with the rest of the debriefing session.

"Now that our esteemed comrades from RAINBOW have arrived," Liquid gave a wicked smile. "shall we begin to discuss plans for our next joint operation in the Aomi Wharf against the A21?"

Chapter 11 END

PS - Well, this chapter's at least 10,000 words. Not bad for my first chapter with this much length. As usual, I'd like to thank those who've read and reviewed this story. But I really want more readers who read this chapter to review it. I'd appreciate it if you can. I can, at least, continue to keep up with the trend of finishing the rest of the story with 10,000 words per chapter for this year. I'll figure out what story will I do next afterwards.

Mei Sai Kun is a manga I read about some wargamers playing airsoft. Nothing new in particular, but it has some wacky moments in there.

I hoped you guys liked the very, special cameo appearance of someone from the Metal Gear games. And no, don't ask me who it is. You guys should be familiar for I got all the cards and hints provided in this chapter. To those who requested for it, you got it. If you guys know, feel free to rant on it in the reviews. But if you don't know who it is (I hope not), I may have to reveal it next chapter.

Chapter title is based from the 1st episode's title in the anime Utawarerumono. If you think that you have a hard time saying it, don't bother. It takes some practice to say it. But some others won't be...

If you guys don't know about the Ocelot salute, watch the cutscenes in MGS3. You'll see what it is. ;)

I just hope that the chapter's long enough to get people's interest on the story. Arigato gozaimashita! To those curious about my b-day, it was on Jan. 19.


	12. The Opening Door

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Melissa wouldn't need to be in the drink after her M9 gets crushed by the Behemoth. Aside from that, Kalinin with Tessa and Kaname wouldn't be captured that easily and would be in a gunfight instead, but I'll see what I can do about that in this chapter...

Summary:

With Kalinin captured by A21 forces back in the Defense Agency research center and Sousuke hiding in Jindai High with Tessa, Yang and Allen, FOXHOUND and RAINBOW are now undergoing plans to cripple A21 from further operating in Japanese soil in another planned joint counter-terrorist operation. But as both Shinji and Ronald prepare to infiltrate Jindai High and assist their MITHRIL colleagues, an unknown American tourist had already been into Jindai High after he sneaked in to satisfy his curiosity. Will these new elements come into play later on? How will they affect the current situation of Sousuke and the others? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 12: The Opening Door

Cabin, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

_Where am I?_

Awakened after he had fainted in the Defense Agency research center, Kalinin saw that he was lying on a cot in a slightly damp cabin with his wounds dressed up.

_I'd say that I'm in some sort of ship. _

"I'm glad to see that you're awake."

Startled, Kalinin stared at his side to see a familiar looking woman leaning on the wall of the cabin while in her Arm Slave pilot suit. It was Seina, smirking with her arms crossed. _What does she want with me?_

"Why..." Kalinin trailed off before he asked Seina. "Why did you save me?"

"I don't know." Seina shrugged off. "You seemed to be of high value that I refused to let you die back there."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kalinin said, denying her allegations.

"But I don't really care who are you anyway." Seina smirked. "You see, whatever institution you come from doesn't change the fact that it'll be able to challenge us in the near future."

Kalinin didn't dare reply, except to stare at her instead in hopes that he might be able to intimidate her.

"I have this trump card with me, and this trump card will help change the face of Japan forever." Seina stared hard at her captive and smirked, "I don't think you'd be able to stop me, whoever you're from anyway. Not that I really care, that is."

* * *

Soccer Field, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

Though night had fallen, there was still activity going on from in the walls of Jindai High.

"Come on, Shinji. Hurry it up."

Like for instance, a figure garbed in a black assault suit had climbed over the concrete wall of the school before landing on the soccer field silently. Aiming the ST Kinetics ACR assault rifle's barrel in a 180 degree arc, the figure then gestured that his companion that he can get in.

"All clear, Ronald."

Another figure, dressed in the same black assault suit, climbed up over the wall before he dropped down on the soccer field as well.

"Thank you." Ronald patted Shinji's left shoulder. "Right, let's move it."

* * *

Rear Entrance, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"I wonder what that vehicle was doing around here at this time of night?" Hugging the wall of the Jindai High gymnasium with his back pressed on it, David peaked around the corner to view the rear entrance of the school.

_Why do I get nostalgic when I do this stuff? Reminds me of my first mission in Outer Heaven when Big Boss chose me to rescue Gray Fox in FOXHOUND. _The American tourist observed what it seemed to be a 1966 Volkswagen Type 2 van entering the rear entrance after an individual stepped out of the vehicle to open the gates by breaking the lock with a silenced weapon.

_Now what? _David watched from cover and peeked a bit to see two figures emerge out from the van with two Bazalt RPG-7V1 anti-tank rocket launchers fitted with PG-7VL warheads. _Crap! They're bringing those? They probably mean some business with someone in here... _Afterwards, six figures came out of the van armed with either Colt or Colt-like M16A1 or IZHMASH AKM and AKMS assault rifles. Two more men had was seemed to resemble Dragunov-like sniper rifles.

"Oh great." David went to hide in the bushes near the gymnasium, feeling that just hugging the gymnasium wall won't be enough to conceal his presence. "Just what I need. Armed men holding the line."

Still eyeing the armed men, David saw most of the armed figures entered the main building while two remained behind to guard the van.

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Over here." Shinji whispered when he called for Ronald after he positioned himself near the wall of a small shed, which housed sports equipment, by placing his back on it. "We've got trouble."

"I see." Ronald crouched next to Shinji. "Looks like our commander and Angel got caught." The two masked teens observed an exchange of words between Sousuke, armed with his Steyr SPP submachine gun, and six armed men with Takuma. Tessa and Kaname were seen nearby, but had their hands up since assault rifle barrels were pointed at their backs.

"This is bad." Shinji peeked from the corner to see his commanding officer and classmate held at gunpoint. "Man, we gotta do something or they're toast."

"I know." Ronald rummaged through his tactical vest. "I'm coming up with a plan for that..."

* * *

Rear Entrance, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Oy! Takada!"

One of the armed men, armed with an IZHMASH AKMS assault rifle, spoke to his comrade watching the van.

"What is it, Kurosawa?" replied Takada. The black-haired man in his late 30s saw that the other armed man, with a Colt CAR-15 assault carbine, had sat on the stairs leading to the rear of Jindai High.

"I need to take a leak." Kurosawa answered. The semi-bald man, also in his 30s, eyed Takada.

"Fine." Takada shooed him away. "I'll keep an eye around here."

Takada resumed his guard duty, roaming the area near the rear entrance so as to cover more ground as Kurosawa went off into some corner to relieve himself.

"Must be me." Takada shrugged his shoulders as he walked by a hedge of bushes while he slinged his CAR-15 on his left shoulder.

He failed to notice that two hands reached out from the bushes and grabbed him from behind before his neck had been quickly snapped, silencing him in a matter of minutes.

"Takada!"

"Crap!" David muttered, dragging the dead body to the bushes so as to conceal it. "Almost forgot..." David eyed the lone figure standing next to the Volkswagen Type 2 van, facing away from the bushes.

"Must be somewhere guarding..." muttered Kurosawa. He then grabbed a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket.

"Now..." David silently dashed in from the rear, taking Kurosawa by surprise when David kneed the guard from behind before he grabbed his head and neck. "Gomen." David spoke to the guard in Japanese before he promptly snapped his neck, killing him. Placing the corpse on the ground, David took the cigarette pack and fished out a single cigarette from it.

"Marlboros?" Placing the cigarette in his mouth, David got a lighter that fell out of the guard's vest pocket after he took down the AKMS-armed man. "Not bad for now." The American grinned to himself as he lighted the cigarette in his mouth.

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Hey, look." Shinji used his thumb to point out to Ronald the armed men with Sousuke in the mix. "Looks like something's about to happen."

"Yeah." With the two hiding using the wall corner to conceal themselves, they watched as Tessa was walking towards Sousuke with Kaname still being held at gunpoint.

"Looks like she's telling him something." Shinji observed Tessa, who seemed to be angry while speaking to Sousuke.

"I guess we won't know for that part, will we?" commented Ronald, continuing to observe the hostage exchange between Sousuke and the armed men.

* * *

Rooftop, Administration Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

_I don't know what clowns are thinking, but I've gotta stop them before they do something bad..._

Sneaking on the rooftop of the Jindai High administration building after taking out the two armed men down near the Volkswagen van, David continued to sneak around while keeping an eye out for other armed hostiles after he ascended the fire escape stairs.

"There they are." David managed to spot two men aiming their weapons near a particular section of the soccer field that had water fountains housed in concrete and tiles near the main building.

_One guy with a sniper rifle, another with an RPG-7. Looks Soviet-made... _David decided to observe them further and wait for one of them to be left alone with another going off somewhere on the roof, giving him time to disable the armed men for good.

As David continued to sneak near the two men, automatic gunfire broke out from the soccer field.

"Yamagata!" yelled the one with the RPG-7V1 anti-tank rocket launcher. "We're under attack! Take the shot with the rifle!"

"Right, Sakibara!" Yamagata took aim with the Dragunov-like rifle's PSO-1 optical sights when David tackled the sniper from the rear and wrestled him on the ground.

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Dammit!" Shinji fired his ST ACR rifle after an unknown sniper fired two shots at him and Ronald from the roof of Jindai High's main building. "They're firing on us!"

"There goes our cover!" Ronald fired his ST ACR rifle to target the armed tangos that had Kaname after he initially covered Sousuke to get Tessa out of the way.

"It's them!" Sousuke had Tessa on the ground before he knelt beside her and fired on the tango on the roof of the administration building. "Get down, captain!" He then fired several short bursts, keeping the tango distracted from aiming the anti-tank rocket launcher.

Suddenly, a slight booming sound was heard.

_I kept the first anti-tank tango from attacking me! Unless it's...Damn! It's from the main building! _Sousuke took the hand of his commanding officer and jogged to hide behind the water fountains when the PG-7VL warhead streaked towards its main target...

* * *

Rooftop, Administration Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Sakibara!" Yamagata struggled against David in order to take possession of the Dragunov-like rifle. "Fire that RPG-7 of yours! Forget about me!"

"Hai!" Sakibara hesistated a bit before he nodded at his companion. He then stared to aim the PGO-7 telescopic sight mounted on the RPG when a cracking sound was heard on the roof.

"Yamagata-kun..." Sakibara breathed after he stared down on his chest to see a bullet wound over the area where his heart was located. Afterwards, the RPG-7V1-armed tango collapsed while dropping the anti-tank weapon without its mounted PG-7VL warhead ever being fired by the dead man.

"Kisama!" Sakibara yelled before he kicked David on his stomach to get him off him. "You killed my comrade! You killed him!"

"If you want to fight so badly." David raised his fists up and clenched up. "Then come and get me..."

Seeing this as a chance to avenge his friend's death, Yamagata yelled as he charged towards David in an attempt to grab him by his neck after he dropped his Dragunov-like rifle.

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Dammit!" Ronald voiced his anger; the armed tangos now had Kaname in their hands as they retreated towards the Volkswagen Type 2 van. The water fountains where Sousuke and Tessa had been using for cover had been struck by the PG-7VL, resulting in water that sprayed out of the destroyed fountains. "Can't fire close..."

"We need to get rid of the other sniper and anti-tank gunner..." Shinji patted Ronald's shoulder. "We can't stay here since we don't know where they are."

"Probably the main building..." Ronald said, running towards the destroyed water fountains. "But let's get into cover first or we won't last much longer around here."

Together, Shinji and Ronald made a mad dash towards the smoking water fountains while the latter fired his ST ACR rifle towards the main building after he had seen muzzle flashes from its roof.

"Sergeant Sagara!" Ronald shouted, after crouching behind what remained of the former water fountains. "Are you alright?" Shinji was at work at firing his ST ACR rifle in the direction of the main building's roof after visually confirming two armed men by firing in short bursts.

"We're fine." Sousuke said, using his right hand to clear the black smoke. Tessa had been behind Sousuke, doing the same thing. "We're not injured by the rocket propelled grenade."

"All right." Ronald then took over for Shinji, who had to reload his rifle after seeing that there was no more 5.56 NATO bullets on his translucent 30-round magazine. "Captain! You okay there?"

Tessa nodded, "Yes, I am. Thank you."

"Looks like their sniper and anti-tank gunner are covering their escape." Shinji said, firing back at the sniper and RPG-7V1 anti-tank tango after the former fired at him to provide time for the armed men with Kaname to get away. Shinji felt a 7.62R bullet hit his chest, which caused him to fall down.

"Damnit!" Ronald shouted, who knelt next to Shinji's downed body to shake his shoulder. Sousuke provided him cover by firing his Steyr SPP at full automatic fire, forcing the armed men on the main building roof to take cover.

"I'm all right." Shinji gritted his teeth, under his balaclava. "Armored Muscle Suit did the job for me..."

"I see." Ronald helped Shinji get up from the grass. "Looks like I'll have to thank the mad doctor in my next report."

_Is he talking about Doctor Painrose? The one who was making research on a bulletproof suit that was supposed to be used as an Arm Slave and combat suit? _Tessa had head down, having her hands over her silver hair, while seated on the grass next to Sousuke. However, she was able to catch a glimpse of Shinji and Ronald joining with Sousuke to fire back at their unknown assailants, the latter reloading his ST ACR rifle with the former providing cover fire.

* * *

Rooftop, Administration Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Come on!" David smirked, having his fists raised up in a fighting stance. "Let's see what you got."

Seeing the incoming punch from Yamagata when David eyed his feet, the American went to counter his opponent's attack by sidestepping to the left in order to avoid the punch.

"Now..." whispered David, who landed a kick on Yamagata's left shin before David landed a back kick that struck the stunned man's back.

Yamagata got up after a few minutes from being kicked in his back. David still had his fists up to guard himself against any kind of retaliatory attacks.

"Erraa!" David moved a few feet away from his charging opponent until he had his right heel accidentally kick the metal guardrail. _A guardrail, eh?_

David continued to eye his adversary until he was at arm's length to grab him by his right shoulder and arm.

"This isn't usually my style," David grunted, who grabbed Yamagata in an instant. "but you're ruining my time!"

With that, David executed a fast and snappy shoulder throw. Throwing the armed man over his shoulder, David simply listened as Yamagata screamed while he plummeted towards the ground.

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"UWAHHHH!"

"What the?" Ronald saw a limp body that fell on the ground, motionless after David threw the armed man from the roof of the administration building.

"He's dead." Sousuke checked the body for a pulse when he placed his left index and middle fingers on the neck. "I don't have any pulse."

"Hey..." Shinji pointed to the administration building. "I can see someone up there..."

* * *

Rooftop, Administration Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Gotta grab it..." David rolled on the floor, grabbing the Dragunov-like rifle before he got prone on the ground and used Sakibara's corpse for an improvised rifle mount after the whizzing sound of gunshots flew over his head with a 7.62R round grazing the corpse..

"Well, looks like I got my hands on an Al-Qadissiya-made Al Kadesiah sniper rifle." David peered through the mounted PSO-1 scope. "Too bad it's not either chromed or gold-plated to start with." He saw a man with the RPG-7V1 anti-tank rocket launcher take aim at him.

"Man, am I feeling it in my hands." David grinned, hearing automatic gunfire from the ground below. "Not a chance." mumbled the American after being able to get the shaky feeling from his hands. He then fired a single 7.62R round from the Al Kadesiah, hitting the forehead of the man who then tumbled backward before he fired his weapon.

"Score one for me. Zero for the guy with the RPG." David nodded a bit before he refocused the PSO-1 scope towards the Al Kadesiah-armed tango on the roof, who had been kept busy by the gunfire coming from near the soccer field.

"I can't fight him if he's distracted." David fired off the Al Kadesiah at the guardrail in front of the other Al Kadesiah-armed man. As soon as David got the man's attention, he peered through the PSO-1 scope again and saw that the armed man did the same thing when he aimed his weapon at him.

With the barrels of the Al Kadesiahs aimed at one another, David and the unknown armed man were ready to fire their weapons to end the situation.

"Time for a showdown, my friend."

David's left index finger went to squeeze the trigger after he had aimed at the other Al Kadesiah's PSO-1 scope...

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"You hear that?" Ronald whispered, hearing two simultaneous gunshots in the evening air. "Two gunshots in unison. I wonder who it was?"

"Yeah, I did." Sousuke stood up after kneeling on the ground with Tessa. "But now we have to worry about Angel's abduction by the armed men."

"I know." Ronald nodded.

"Say," Sousuke asked the masked Ronald. "where's..."

"Don't worry." Ronald waved his gloved left hand. "I've sent him to check on the other roof on the main building after the fiasco a few minutes ago was over."

The sound of a helicopter's blades brought Ronald, Sousuke and Tessa back to reality when a Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare materialized alongside a crouched M9E Arm Slave after it landed under the cover of ECS.

"Hey you guys!" Melissa emerged from the Pave Mare, already donned in her Arm Slave pilot suit. "Sorry we're late."

"Yep!" Kurz grinned when he disembarked from the Pave Mare. Like Melissa, he had been also wearing the pilot suit with something tucked underneath his right armpit. "We've got word from Yang and Allen after you guys got here." He then looked around with Melissa waving the Pave Mare chopper pilots to leave the area. "Which reminds me, what happened to them?"

"Pardon us, captain." Yang came to the soccer field with Allen next to him, their hands on their hands. "We were knocked out before they took the captain and Angel. We're lucky that they didn't have time to disarm us since they needed to get to the target."

"There you are." Shinji said, returning back with a slinged rifle on his back. "I've searched the roof of the main building. Found an Al Kadesiah, but it's PSO-1 scope's busted. Someone did a Carlos Hathcock here."

Sousuke raised his eyebrow. eyeing the masked Shinji. "It seemed to take you for a few minutes."

Shinji shook his head. "No need to worry. I've got intel about this place, so it's not much of a problem."

Tessa raised her voice a bit. "Um. I'd like to know if any of you guys saw someone around the area before Sergeant Weber and Sergeant Major Mao arrived?" The TDD-1 captain faced Sousuke, Yang and Allen, waiting for an answer.

Shinji raised his hand to answer her. "I did remember catching a glimpse of someone firing the Al Kadesiah, but I'm not sure who it was."

"Looking for me?"

Heads turned towards the direction of the voice, which had been near the Jindai High administration building.

* * *

Bridge, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"I thank you for your time to invite me up here." Red Fox had been invited by Seina to speak with her on the SS George Clinton's semi-dilapidated bridge. Several A21 terrorists were busy manning it, such as conducting surveillance on the Aomi Wharf to make sure no police officers were present in the area.

"Of course." Seina nodded, looking outside the bridge. "We've even managed to capture ourselves a foreigner who may be of high intelligence value."

Red Fox raised an eyebrow, hidden under his balaclava. "You don't say?"

Seina replied, "Yes. Though he won't speak about it, I don't think he's much of a threat."

"I see." The masked mercenary sighed. "Well. Just to let you know, my benefactors have left some of the hired guns with you from the raid on the research center to temporarily bolster your forces."

Seina was a bit hesitant in answering him.

"I understand if you're confused." insisted Red Fox. "But they insisted upon doing this as a sign of appreciation for calling on their services."

"I guess that's fine." Seina said before an A21 terrorist with a slinged IZHMASH AKM rifle whispered to her ear. "Please excuse me."

"Of course, Ms. Seina." After watching Seina leave the bridge, Red Fox did the same thing. Before he did so, he had dialed a series of numbers on the Nokia 3530 cellphone on his gloved left hand before placing the receiver on his left ear.

**"Hey." **Red Fox stepped out of the bridge, speaking on his mobile phone. **"It's me. Listen, Seina and her A21 lackeys managed to catch someone of high importance." **The masked teen walked on the metal catwalk leading away from the bridge. **"She said it's a Soviet and thinks he's harmless, but I think otherwise." **Staring at the Aomi Wharf, he eyed a 2000 Nissan Sentra entering the harbor. **"You think it's them?" **He yawned a bit before he replied to the caller. **"I see. Looks like we both think he's from MITHRIL."**

Red Fox coughed a bit when he heard a reply from his phone. **"So I can't stay and join the fun? And a ride's coming for me?" **Looking around to hear the source of the sound, Red Fox saw that a black Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk land on the ship's helipad located on the bow. **"Oh fine..." **The mercenary sighed in frustration. **"If that's what Mr. Gold wants to, Gauron. I'm going."**

* * *

Near Main Building, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Well, this is a surprise..." Melissa couldn't help but shake her head and sigh in unison. "Haven't seen you for ages since 1991, David."

David grinned when he saw Melissa and whistled. "Same goes for you too, Melissa. What's happening to you lately?"

Melissa shrugged. "Stuff. But I can't tell you the rest."

"Excuse me." Sousuke said, breaking the camaraderie between David and Melissa. "I humbly apologize if I'm interrupting anything, but we do need to secure Angel."

Melissa slapped her left temple. "Oh, yeah. He he..." The Chinese-American woman chuckled. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

David detached the PSO-1 scope from the Al Kadesiah sniper rifle, held with his left hand on its foregrip. "Here." He then tossed the detached scope to Shinji. "You said you needed one. This one's still good."

"Thanks." Shinji caught the tossed scope. "You're the one who did it?"

"Yep..." David nodded.

"If I'm right." Ronald took a good look at David carefully. "You're the guy who used to be at FOXHOUND, made famous for the Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land..."

Yang and Allen took a good look at David, with Tessa as well.

"Hey! It is him!" Allen shouted, who was able to recognize David. "Hey man! Remember me? Allen? Allen Ishiba, Delta Force?"

"Allen!" David clasped Allen's right hand and shook it when the former approached him. "Haven't seen you since FOXHOUND boot camp..."

Mark grinned. "So I was right?"

Tessa faced Yang and spoke to her subordinate. "Please secure us a vehicle or two, if you can. We'll need to secure Angel right away."

Yang nodded. "Of course." The South Korean SRT operator faced Allen and called up for him. "Hey! Come on!"

"Coming!" The two went off away from the soccer field towards the Nissan Bluebird U14 parked near the school's main building.

"And who might you be?" David faced Tessa, not knowing about her true nature as MITHRIL's TDD-1 commanding officer.

"I'm Tessa." Tessa offered her left hand; David shook her left hand with his right hand. "I remember reading the papers about you doing two missions for FOXHOUND."

David grinned, trying to keep a good appearance for Tessa. "Don't mind that. I just did what I had to do."

"I heard about ya." Kurz walked up to David and slapped his right shoulder. "I kinda remember seeing your face in Zanzibar Land." The German SRT operator scratched his hair. "At least I think I was..."

David eyed Kurz carefully. "I do recall that Zanzibar recruited mercenaries to fight in its 1997 independence war." He then became a bit cautious, his eyes frowning. "I get it. I recall you way back when I..."

"Sorry to break it all up, David." Melissa walked to David, with Shinji and Ronald. "But I'm in the middle of something and I..."

"Ma'am." Sousuke spoke up. "Does this mean we'll have to detain him?" He used his right thumb in a hitchhiker's position to point David out to Melissa. "He is a civilian after all."

"Besides," Shinji too raised his concern. "he's not with US Forces Japan or with FOXHOUND any longer, so that means he can compromise our mission."

David sighed. _What do I do? At this point, Melissa might order her posse to detain me since I'm in her secret game... Wait! Does this mean that she's with that MITHRIL organization that I heard of back when I was in FOXHOUND? _David inhaled and exhaled while Melissa was speaking to Sousuke, Kurz, Shinji and Ronald about their situation. _Best thing for me to do would be to play along for now until I can get out of this little mess that I got myself involved in._

"I think I can compromise something here." David voiced himself to Melissa and the others.

Melissa eyed him carefully and gave him a smirk. "And just how are you going to do that?"

* * *

Operations Room, Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Tokyo, Japan

"Does the plan seem workable to you, Ding?"

In the middle of Yokota Air Base's operations room, Ding Chavez and Liquid Snake were conversing regarding an operation to cripple the SS George Clinton as operations room personnel were busy conducting their duties.

"It seems workable, Liquid." Ding studied the tactical map of the Aomi Wharf and the SS George Clinton moored on the harbor. "We can insert our teams in the Aomi Wharf by the east," Ding pointed to the western area of the wharf with the SS George Clinton's bow nearby. "where they'll have the minimal chance of being detected since the area's a civilian port. I doubt those A21 guys will want to have armed men on the bow as that'll tip off the police in an instant."

Liquid voiced his concern on the plan. "But that doesn't mean that they'll have sentries posted on the bow."

Ding nodded. "You're right about that."

"Right." Liquid observed the tactical map carefully, taking note of certain positions on the harbor taken by American spy satellites taken an hour ago. "We might have to contend with civilians working in the harbor. So silenced weapons will be an essential part for this mission to be a success."

"How many per team?" Ding asked his FOXHOUND counterpart. "Got some numbers?"

The blonde man shook his head. "Not sure about the numbers." Liquid inhaled and exhaled his breath, still studying the map. "What I'm proposing is about 5-6 members per team that we're going to deploy in the field, including you and me per se."

Ding pondered on Liquid's suggestion for a brief second before he spoke to him. "That may sound plausible. That takes a total of 10-12 men, probably enough for us to take out the armed opposition and seize the ship."

"Yes." Liquid replied. "Hopefully, we can figure out what is A21's true objectives in Japan."

Ding only smirked at Liquid. "Same here."

"Well," Liquid began to walk towards the entrance of the operations room. "We better rendezvous with our men and debrief them on the plans. I surely hope that they can accept it without much trouble."

"I agree there, mate." Ding walked behind Liquid, also heading towards the entrance of the operations room. "I agree."

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

The Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan had been the first vehicle to depart from the grounds of Jindai High, followed by a 2001 Toyota Hilux pickup truck that had been hotwired from the sidewalk parked in front of the school.

"Do you think we'll be able to meet up with Commander Kalinin in time?" Tessa had been seated in the rear passenger seat with Allen. Yang and Sousuke were at the driver and front passenger seats of the Bluebird sedan.

"Don't worry about, madam captain." Sousuke turned his head around to face Tessa, now wearing his MITHRIL-issued Arm Slave pilot suit. "I've put a tracking device on Ms. Chidori's bracelet when I gave it to her in the afternoon."

Yang grinned at Sousuke. "Oh... For a minute, I thought you were just trying to be smooth with her." Allen couldn't help, but grin at Yang's comments.

"I merely did that part just for Angel to have the bracelet on." Sousuke answered calmly. "But other than that, it's good to hear praises towards my actions."

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

Driving the hotwired pickup was Kurz, who had found the vehicle parked near the front entrance of Jindai. Thanks to his hotwiring skills that he acquired during his mercenary days in the Middle East, the German SRT operator had been able to put it into good use. Seated next to him was Shinji, who had been busy checking his ST ACR rifle in order to ensure its combat readiness.

"I kinda have to thank you guys for coming along though."

Seated in the rear passenger seat in the Hilux was David, who had a lit cigarette in his mouth. The American man had taken another Marlboro cigarette from the pack that he had acquired from the dead gunmen David killed previously. "I thought for a minute that you guys were gonna cap me or somethin'."

"As much as we want to..." Kurz replied, keeping his eye on the road and his hands on the Hilux's steering wheel. "She said that she didn't want to, seeing that you helped my buddies out there a while ago."

David chuckled, taking the lit cigarette with his left hand while waving it around. "Then looks like it won't be a problem after all..."

Shinji turned his head around, glaring at him under his balaclava. "But that doesn't mean that we'll let you off the hook." He then turned his head back to look at the road. "And while we're here, would you mind not waving that thing around? Last thing I'd need is to be in the company of someone who smokes in front of my face."

* * *

_Among the last people who I wanted to see right now, it has to be her..._

Seated alone on the Hilux's open bed, Ronald sat with his legs crossed before he laid his ST ACR rifle on his lap. _Better remove this... _He unslinged the Al Kadesiah rifle that Shinji handed to him prior to their departure from Jindai High.

**"I gotta say, you've got some impressive weapons there."**

_Almost forgot. They were able to connect through my radio's frequency. _Ronald stared at the space in front of her, though he knew that Melissa's M9E unit had been running after the Hilux under ECS mode. **"Pretty much," **Ronald replied to Melissa's M9E radio frequency. **"though I've got a better Al Kadesiah rifle than this..."**

**"Speaking of Al Kadesiah," **Melissa interrupted Ronald's thoughts. **"there's something I've meant to ask you."**

**"Is it about my Arm Slave?"**

**"Uh..." **Melissa stuttered a bit. **"Yeah! That's right! I know that the M9D Falke's not a standard Arm Slave in MITHRIL, so you must be pretty special."**

Ronald nodded. **"That's right. I was a part of the Research Division when I was with the Mediterranean Sea Fleet."**

**"Research?" **Melissa was stunned to hear the masked teen's former position in MITHRIL. **"So what were you doing?"**

**"Let's just say that I had my Arm Slave subjected to some combat testing. Nothing more, nothing less."**

Silence continued to linger on as Kurz drove the pickup. **"By the way..." **Melissa spoke again to Ronald's earpiece.

**"Go ahead." **Ronald had been busy listening to Melissa in the midst of ejecting the 10-round magazine of the Al Kadesiah.

**"You sound a bit familiar." **Ronald felt his heartbeat increase in pace when he heard Melissa speak of her suspicion. **"Have we met somewhere before?"**

**"No." **The masked Whispered SRT operator answered firmly. **"No, we haven't." **He firmly slapped the ejected 10-round magazine back on the Al-Kadesiah. _Dammit! Why'd she have to ask me the mother of all questions? I can't be exposed now..._

**"I see." **Ronald could hear Melissa sigh. **"Pardon me for that part. It's just that..." **Melissa hesitated to complete her comments before she sighed again and decided to do so. **"you remind me of a cousin."**

**"Ah..." **_I'm sure that she's talking about me..._

**"That's right." **Melissa spoke up a bit on her past. **"I had a cousin, he's a Chinese-Filipino from the Philippines. He should be around your age. The last time I heard, I received information that he'd been kidnapped by some child smugglers to Africa in the early '90s."**

**"At that time." **Ronald leaned on the rear portion of the Hilux's cab. **"Civil wars were raging in parts of Africa, Europe, South America and parts of Asia. Child soldiers being used as mercenaries were the hot commodity back then..."**

**"Yeah." **Melissa replied, agreeing with Ronald. **"Afterwards, I didn't hear much about what happened to him after I joined the Marines." **Melissa exhaled her breath. **"Everyday, I tried to get much information as I can about my cousin's whereabouts. So far, I had no luck."**

**"Ah. It must've been hard on you."**

**"Yeah. It was. Let's just say that I've been close to him when he was younger."**

* * *

Somewhere in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

**"I see that you came to call me, Mister Gold. Right when I'm having a nice time in Malaysia."**

Gauron was now in the busy streets of downtown Kuala Lumpur in the evening. Wearing his usual business suit and necktie, his facial scar on his cheek had been unnoticed in the public eye since he had been groomed to pass himself off as a regular businessman.

**"Yes, Mr. Gold." **Gauron stared at his Rolex wristwatch while speaking on his mobile phone. **"The Behemoth's been delivered to them yesterday evening. I imagine how the client would come and use it."**

He then walked over a pedestrian lane after the pedestrian signal indicated that it was safe to cross. **"Yes. As you instructed, I've recalled Red Fox back from Tokyo. But I've kept some of the others with them as a guarantee that we still support them." **

Gauron, having crossed the pedestrian lane, walked towards the direction of the Parliament Malaysia building. **"What is now, Mr. Gold? I have a job to do." **Gauron stared at the government building before he asked. **"Where's it? And who happens to be the client for this job then?"**

The international terrorist and mercenary grinned when he heard his reply on his phone. **"The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and the DRA military's our client? When do I start?"**

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

**"What? We got the confirmation? Right, understood!" **David woke up when he heard Shinji speak on his earpiece after deciding to doze off in the rear passenger seat of the Hilux.

"Hmmmm..." David rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Did something interesting happen while I was taking a nap?"

"Nah..." Kurz answered the ex-American FOXHOUND operator. "We now know where we're suppose to go from here." _Looks like we can get those A21 scumbags!_

"Yeah?" David raised his right eyebrow, feeling very suspicious. "And suppose how did you do it?"

"We've got a confirmation from a hack on the National Police Agency's ORBIS system." Shinji replied. "That's how we did it."

"WHAT?" David yelled when he heard the answer. "Do you guys realize what you're doing is illegal, not to mention that it's a criminal offense to hack into police or government databases?"

Shinji turned his head around to face David and glare at him. "Look. We're not some military special forces unit okay? You know who were are and we know who you are. And what we do may not look and sound right to civilians like you, but we're doing this to do our job and defeat the bad guys to live another day. Got it?"

David leaned back onto the seat, feeling defeated. "All right. All right already." He waved his hand around. "Save the lecture for some bad guy in the field, will ya?"

* * *

Cabin, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What are they going to do with me?"

Alone in a slightly damp cabin without any sort of chairs or cot, Kaname had sat down on the floor with her legs close to her chest after she had been shoved inside by an armed A21 terrorist.

"I'm of no use to them. I can't even tell them what they want to know..." Kaname began to rant on her condition as a hostage, until she realized one thing. "Unless they're planning on using me as some sort of hostage in a future situation."

Kaname sighed, staring up at the rusting metal ceiling of her cabin. "Looks like it's just me tonight..."

* * *

Cabin, USAF Sikorsky UH-60L, en route to Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Inside one of the USAF Sikorsky UH-60L choppers, Liquid eyed the other 4 FOXHOUND operator who he had personally selected for the mission in the midst of resting in the cabin as it had been a long flight as it was one of the two UH-60Ls deployed from Yokota Air Base.

"Hey Liquid." The UH-60L's co-pilot called out to the FOXHOUND commander. "You okay back there?"

"I'm fine." Liquid waved off the co-pilot's concerns. "Reminds me back in the day when Iraqi Republican Guard forces captured me in Iraq when I was an SAS operator doing SCUD-hunting in the 1991 Gulf War."

"I may have to ask you something, boss."

Liquid heard the voice and turned his head to the left. The British-raised man noted that it had been Owl and his marionette dolls, seated next to him.

"Go ahead." Liquid eyed the marionette dolls carefully. _I'm not sure if it was a good thing to get Owl involved in this operation..._

"Is it really necessary to have those RAINBOW chumps come along?" The ex-serial killer voiced his concern, fixing his shades. "We could've done this operation on A21 ourselves and gain credit."

"I share your concern." Liquid answered. "But the Pentagon wants us to do it again with RAINBOW, so it seems that they're trying to squeeze some pressure to RAINBOW to join in the anti-A21 mission of ours."

"And so it seems..." Raven spoke out next after Owl. "But I can feel something."

When Liquid and Owl eyed the Alaskan native and ex-GRU agent carefully, Raven continued to speak in a voice that would befit some sort of prophet. "The spirits of the ravens have informed me that we would meet some familiar faces in the Aomi Wharf later on. I can assure of that fact."

Liquid had not been one to believe in the superstition, especially those that concern elders from aboriginal nations or tribes that speak of some future events. However, he had trusted Raven since he recruited the Alaskan shaman after he had been selected to reorganize FOXHOUND after the end of the Zanzibar Land Independence War and the terrorist events concerning the central Asian nation in the year 1999.

"Usually, I'm not the type of person who would trust some superstitious stuff since I prefer the wonders of science and technology." Liquid briefly spoke on Raven's comments. Even though Raven did nothing except to stare at his commanding officer, Liquid continued to voice his thoughts to his subordinate. "But I can tell you this. I'm definitely sure that MITHRIL's going to make a presence during our Aomi Wharf operation. That I can assure you of."

"Speaking of which," Viper was seated next to Raven, his mouth already cover by the metallic collar of his black sneaking suit. "do we have any sort of ROE in case we meet anyone who can be from MITHRIL? I mean, they go after terrorists too aside from us and RAINBOW."

Liquid pondered on Viper's concern before he replied, "Take no action against them." Liquid smirked afterwards. "We can use them to help us complete our operation."

Raven asked Liquid, unsure of his words. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Liquid, still smirking, faced Raven and replied to him. "Don't worry, Raven. I'll have a plan set up for that..."

Mantis, seated next to Owl, addressed Liquid on his thoughts. "Let's just hope that you're right."

* * *

Outskirts of Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Staring at the entrance, Billy and Sheila were wearing zipped jackets as they were eyeing the entrance leading to Aomi Wharf.

"I guess SEA Intelligence was right on this one." Billy sat on a bench, staring at the SS George Clinton moored inside the wharf. "The target's right inside the wharf."

"And if they're right." Sheila began, seated next to him. "That's the floating HQ of A21."

After the two SEA agents had retreated back to SEA Japan's Headquarters in Tokyo, a debriefing of intelligence regarding the data taken from the Defense Agency research facility indicated that Takuma had been held by the JSDF for a day after his arrest in the New Tokyo International Airport. However, it also had data regarding initial attacks on the facility. SEA Intelligence suggested that someone from the facility had leaked the news about the attack to the JGSDF's Military Intelligence Command.

Further intelligence work had revealed, partially from double agents in the CIA and the Public Security Intelligence Agency with the input of SEA Intelligence's Japanese division, that the SS George Clinton was the target of an evening assault by FOXHOUND with joint assistance from RAINBOW in order to capture its key figures and destroy the ship and its cargo.

"Who would've suspected that the seemingly innocent cargo ship is the HQ of A21?" Billy chuckled. "I guess even I would've been fooled?"

"I concur." Sheila said in agreement. "Even with an ex-juvenile reform youth group turning itself into a terrorist group is even unheard of." The blonde SEA agent sighed. "That's the first time I ever heard of that..."

"No kidding." Billy raised his right hand up. "No matter what, they're still terrorists even with that story that an accident occurred during one of their youth activities." The red-haired man went for his right jacket pocke to take a wireless headset and placed it on his left ear. "Hold on. I got something."

Billy turned on his wireless headset. **"Go ahead. This is Falcon."**

**"I've got some news, agent Billy." **Billy listened in on the radio transmission from Eve. **"FOXHOUND and RAINBOW are preparing to move in towards the target..."**

**"And do we have to do anything?"** Billy asked.

**"Yes." ** Eve replied. **"There's a man who needs to be secured safely..."**

**"I'm listening." **Giving a hand signal to Sheila, Billy started to run towards the chain link fence of Aomi Wharf as there was no traffic around the area. Sheila followed behind Billy. When the two agents were close, they took off their jackets to show off their SEA-issue sneaking suits before they ran to the stacked crates next to the chain link fence.

**"His name is Andrei Sergeivich Kalinin." **Jumping on the crates and leaping over the fence, Billy and Sheila had their stealth camouflage units activated before they were able to safely insert into Aomi Wharf. With their stealth camouflage units safely concealing their presence and ensuring that their insertion was safe, the two stealth camouflaged agents drew out their silenced Walther P99 pistols from their holsters before they started to approach the moored SS George Clinton.

* * *

Cabin, USAF Sikorsky UH-60L, en route to Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

In another USAF UH-60L helicopter bound for Aomi Wharf, Ding Chavez was seated in the cabin of the chopper preparing his Heckler and Koch MP5SD5 submachine gun and his Beretta 92F pistol. Wearing black combat gear consisting of BDU jacket and pants with his PASGT ballistic helmet, the American RAINBOW operator was more than ready to get into action.

"Hey!" Seated in front of him was Kan, who had prepared several explosive charges with a MP5SD5 on his side. "You seem to be a bit anxious for the operation."

"In a way, Akahashi. In a way." Ding stretched his arms. "I never expected we'd run back into FOXHOUND and join up with them again."

"But isn't that in a way going to benefit us?" Alejandro Noronha, Brazilian RAINBOW operator, was seated next to Kan. "Six did say back in one of our briefing that we're suppose to be conducting missions against A21."

The Japanese RAINBOW operator and ex-1st Airborne Brigade paratrooper agreed with Alejandro. "That's right. After they did some bombing attacks in Japan and parts of the Asian continent, Six had been partially pressured by ASEAN to get to the bottom of this."

"Weren't we able to get some luck after our last operation in Asia?" Ding turned his head to the left to see that Karl Haider, RAINBOW's lone Austrian operator, spoke up to him as he was the team leader for the mission after his last stint in the Defense Agency research center recon operation. "We were able to assist the Singapore Police Force in arresting an A21 financial handler in Singapore after they passed intel to Bill Tawney."

Ding remembered; a 5-man RAINBOW team led by Eddie Price assisted the Singapore Police Force's STAR unit in arresting a local A21 supporter who had been the group's financial leader two weeks prior to RAINBOW's deployment in Japanese territory after an unknown person called Singaporean police about the financier's whereabouts in the island republic. From the interrogation of the man led by Ding himself, the arrested A21 terrorist man confessed that A21 had been plotting to conduct a move in the Greater Tokyo Area. But when he had been asked to "spill" on what kind of attack, the man revealed nothing due to the fact that he was merely in charge of A21's financial division.

"That is true indeed." Pak Suo-Won, one of RAINBOW's South Korean operators, was seated next to Karl. "If it weren't for that operation in Singapore, we wouldn't have any idea on what to expect on these A21 terrorists."

"He happens to be right on that." Andrew Burke, British RAINBOW operator and ex-SAS operator, commented. He leaned from inside the UH-60Ls cockpit, poking his head out.

"We're almost near the target area!" The UH-60L pilot. "We're going to have to insert you guys near the eastern portion of Aomi Wharf. I can't risk being exposed out here and take the possible chance of being shot by a portable SAM launcher."

Ding gritted his teeth when he heard the pilot. He thought that it was only safe to be deployed near the wharf as intelligence provided by the PSIA showed that A21 was known to have a small quantity of Man-portable air-defense systems or MANPAD rocket launchers in that in mind, USFJ officials didn't want to let the Japanese public know that RAINBOW and even FOXHOUND were conducting special operations in the country without their knowledge.

"Guess we have no choice for the matter then." Ding nodded at the pilot's reply. "Thanks for letting us know." The UH-60L pilot and co-pilot gave the RAINBOW team a thumbs up for good luck in the operation.

"All right everyone!" Ding ordered his teammates. "Gets those balaclavas on!" Taking a black balaclava from the tactical vest worn on his chest, Ding wore the balaclava from the top of his head down to his chin. It completely concealed his face before he had his PASGT ballistic helmet worn on his head. Placing his gloved left hand on the Blackhawk Tactical Goggles strapped on his helmet, Ding pulled it until it covered the eyeholes of his balaclava.

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Damn!" Yang pressed hard on the Bluebird's acceleration pedal after he and the Hilux, driven by Kurz, breached a police checkpoint. "Sorry folks! We don't have time for plesantries with the police, even with the fact that Angel's been abducted alongside Commander Kalinin."

"Oh dear..." Tessa looked a bit worried when she heard the sounds of police sirens from behind. "Then... Then what are we going to do?"

"Don't worry about a thing, captain." Allen said, trying to reassure Tessa. "Yang's one of the best in the SRT when it comes to defensive driving techniques."

"Sergeant Ishiba is right on the mark." Sousuke said, facing his commanding officer. "Corporal Yang should be able to lose the pursuing squad cars." He then brandished his Steyr SPP submachine gun. "Unless you want me to use..."

"No way Sergeant Sagara! No way!" Tessa shouted, angry when she saw Sousuke bring out his submachine gun. "I will not absolutely allow you to shoot down the pursuing squad cars!"

Sousuke sighed, feeling sweat drop down his head. "Understood, madam captain. I...I won't shoot them."

"Looks like we're going to have to shake them off." Allen stared from behind the Bluebird, seeing several squad cars pursuing them neck and neck. "The hard way if that's going to happen."

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Crap!" Kurz cursed when he saw the squad cars pursuing their vehicle. "This isn't good!"

"Tell me about it." Shinji yelled. "We simply can't shoot these guys down since that's not our motto."

David winced after feeling the pickup truck sway a bit left and right. "Looks like it's bad for me that I shoot the squad cars down too."

"Look!" Shinji spoke up to David, having to shout since the blaring sirens were drowning them out so loud that they may not be able to hear themselves speak. "Shooting those squad cars isn't how we do our job!" Shinji faced Kurz, wanting to do something about their situation. "Hey dude! You got smoke grenades!"

Kurz nodded. "Yeah, I do. Go check on the bag next to you. They're all in there."

* * *

"Now I really don't know if I should shoot them in the tires to distract them or shoot warning signs over them."

Seeing the squad cars still pursuing them towards the direction of Aomi Wharf, Ronald had been pondering on whether to use the Al Kadesiah to shoot some 7.62R bullets to slow down their pursuers.

**"Whatever you've got in mind!" **Ronald could hear Melissa's voice ring through his earpiece. **"I will not allow you to use your sniper rifle and shoot those police cars!"**

**"Fine, fine." **Ronald replied to the Chinese-American's ranting. **"I wasn't going to shoot them anyway."**

"Hey!" Ronald turned around to see Shinji holding up a M18 smoke grenade. "I got me some smoke grenades to slow them down! Get ready, mate!"

* * *

Cabin, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What the? Who's out there..."

Kaname saw that the door of her cabin cell was opened, revealing three armed A21 men standing outside. One had an IZHMASH AKS-74 assault rifle. Another had an Elisco M16A1 assault carbine while a third had an IMI Uzi submachine gun slinged on his right shoulder. All of them were heavily armed and ready for action.

"Ugh!" Kaname used her right arm to briefly block the light coming from the corridor as her cabin had little light due to the light bulb above her that shorted itself, resulting in brief moments where the light bulb shoe and died for a few seconds.

"I'm afraid that you're going to have to come with me." The Elisco M16A1 assault carbine-armed men spoke to Kaname. "And you can't say no to this one, missy. We need you to come with us."

"What..." Kaname was starting to feel afraid. Being confronted by men armed with small arms is not a good thing, especially if they're working against the law. "What are you going to..."

The Uzi-armed A21 terrorist simply grinned at Kaname. "Don't you worry. We're not going to hurt you." He then laughed a bit. "In fact, we just need you to see someone right away since we need him to talk."

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Eiya!"

Shinji tossed the M18 smoke grenade towards the pursuing squad cars, which emitted yellow smoke to cloud their vision for a few, brief minutes to delay them.

"Whoa!" David was stunned to see an M18 being used against their pursuers. "Haven't seen anyone toss a grenade like that from around a 100 meters."

Shinji grinned. _It's all thanks to the Armored Muscle Suit. Gives me more throwing power than an ordinary Shinkansen. _"Catch!" Shinji tossed Ronald another M18 smoke grenade when he climbed out of his seat and sat on pickup's roof to get a good vision before he threw the item at his comrade.

"Thanks." Taking the tossed M18, Ronald zipped up his Armored Muscle Suit to activate the artificial muscles. "Here goes..." Removing the safety pin off the M18, Ronald had the live weapon at his hand. Gripped tightly with the fingers on his left hand, Ronald was more than ready to use the weapon.

**"Out of the way!" **Ronald made radio contact with Melissa. **"I'm going to toss a smoke grenade to slow them down!"**

**"Right! Understood!" **He heard Melissa's M9E move out of the way from the Hilux's rear. **"Okay. I'm out of the way! Go do it!"**

**"Understood, Sergeant Major!" **

With his target in sight, the masked Whispered SRT operator was ready to do his part. "Eat some of this!"

Kneeling on the pickup's bed, Ronald gave a heavy swing on his left arm to allow the live M18 smoke grenade to travel very far with assistance from his suit's artificial muscles. He then saw the smoke grenade smash the windshield of the leading 2000 Nissan Cedric squad car, which forced the vehicle to halt by swerving it to the right as the yellow smoke was seeping into the squad car's interior. The squad cars following the Cedric brought their own vehicles to a halt, some crashing into each other.

"Now that we're done." Ronald sat down back on the Hilux's bed, holding the foregip and pistol grip of his ST ACR rifle after he slinged the Al Kadesiah on his back. "It's time we went forth and get it on to save Angel."

Chapter 12 END

PS - Alright folks! As always, another kick-ass chapter for Overwatch brought to you by Ominae. Episode title is from Gundam SEED's 45th episode of the same name. Please read, review and let me know what you think about the chapter and if I did something wrong.

Well, I had to attend to a semi-open book and close book midterm exam in my Research Methods subject coupled with an essay that I have to turn it for my History of 20th Century Europe, which is the main reason why I didn't update soon enough. I had to prioritize those two first after all. Hopefully, I can finish the story by the middle of 2008 since I have weekly homeworks in Research Methods with two more essays in my history subject, though I'll try and update more in a two week interval basis perhaps if the current situation I'm going through in university is all right. I just hope I can. But don't worry about it, I can assure to all my readers that I'll be able to finish it. I actually thought that I can update in the first few weeks on February, but seeing as to the approaching midterm by next week with the weekly homework and time that I spent on them, it's a good thing that I planned ahead to see what's my next course of action.

The Al Kadesiah is the sniper rifle of the pre-Iraqi Army prior to the 2003 Iraqi invasion. Based from the SVD sniper rifle, some of them had been chromed or gold-plated. Based on recent information that I got, Iraqi-made small arms are made by the former Al-Qadissiya small arms factory. Would love to get my hands on either one of the special plated rifles for a feel. Also added a reference to a real-life sniper. See if you can figure out it is ;)

As usual, look forward to more Full Metal Panic!


	13. Crossfire at Barge

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Seina wouldn't have to die after being in Kalinin's arms since she needs to be developed more and Tessa wouldn't have to tell Sousuke to switch off his Arbalest's external speakers for her to declare her "rivalry" against Kaname.

Summary:

As Sousuke and the others are preparing to storm the SS George Clinton and rescue both Kalinin and Kaname, other forces are also preparing to move in towards the Aomi Wharf with their own objectives at hand. Will the appearance of FOXHOUND and RAINBOW in the Aomi Wharf come to interfere with the planned rescue operation? Can the good guys get Kalinin and Kaname to safety before its too late? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 13: Crossfire at Barge

Somewhere near the eastern section of the Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Two Sikorsky UH-60L helicopters, hovering at least 40 meters off the grounds that led to the eastern side of the Aomi Wharf, had rappelling ropes tossed out to the open. Several figures, using the dark as cover, rappelled down from the two UH-60Ls rapidly before the choppers departed from the area in order to avoid being hit by possible MANPAD launchers in A21's possession from the SS George Clinton.

Using the element of darkness as cover, the two helicopters began to descend a few feet above the ground until thick ropes were tossed out from their cockpits in order to conduct fast-roping actions.

* * *

"Looks like you made it."

Liquid addressed Ding, after the former had rappelled from his UH-60L chopper alongside Raven, Viper, Owl and Mantis. Ding and the rest of his mission unit had been the last to fast-rope out of their chopper. The two units secured the landing zone as the UH-60Ls flew back to Yokota Air Base.

"Likewise too, Liquid." Ding, Karl, Pak, Kan and Alejandro were the last to rappel down their chopper before they linked up with Liquid. "Looks like we made it too. Not much activity around the wharf for tonight."

"A perfect opportunity for a sneaking mission." Liquid grinned before staring at the waters of Tokyo Bay. _Tokyo Bay looks beautiful in the night, but I'm not here for a little tourist visit or anything._

Liquid was the first to begin walking towards the eastern side of Aomi Wharf, which is sealed off by a chain link fence followed by his FOXHOUND comrades. Ding also followed behind with the rest of the RAINBOW squad following close behind, Heckler and Koch MP5SD5 submachine guns at the ready.

"Let's go." Liquid said with a smirk on his face. "Our first job's to get some flies down for good..."

He felt the bottom of his trenchcoat sway a bit with the breeze as he walked towards his objective.

* * *

Warehouse, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Two figures inside a dark warehouse interior had materialized moments after deactivating their stealth camouflage units, sneaking in the place by entering through the rear while trying to avoid being detected despite having their stealth camouflage units on a while ago.

"That was close." Sheila had her silenced Walther P99 pistol drawn out to aim at her surroundings with the flashlight on the attached Insight Technology X2L tac light/laser mount switched on. "Good thing we had our stealth camo units with us."

"I know." Billy replied, who had his silenced Walther P99 drawn out as well. "But it doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet, Sheila." Gripping the pistol in a Weaver grip, he eyed the entire warehouse to see that most of the contents inside were wooden and metal shipping boxes alike.

"Hey, Billy." Sheila whispered, tapping on Billy's right shoulder. "Someone's coming."

Billy began to activate his stealth camo unit. "Right," nodded Billy. "let's hide and stay close. We might be able to figure out something."

"Roger that." Sheila followed Billy in activating her stealth camo unit, blending her entire body to her surroundings.

The two waited for a man in his early 30s to enter the warehouse and close the door behind him. The two SEA agents eyed the lone man carefully and saw something with him.

"Crud..." Billy whispered, noticing that the man wearing navy blue BDU jacket and pants with military-type boots, had a Norinco Type 56-1 assault rifle slinged on his back. "He's got an assault rifle on his back. And he's carrying it around like it's nothing to him..."

"Damn..." Sheila mildly cursed, sharing the same sentiment. "Makes you wonder if Japanese anti-firearm laws are strong like Singapore with this Cold War atmosphere lingering on our heads."

"Do you know?" Billy asked his SEA partner.

"No..." Sheila hissed, glaring at Billy. "I'm not a political scientist." She then sighed, "Only thing I've been good at was being a child soldier during the Zanzibar Land Independence War in the late '90s."

"Doesn't matter now." Billy watch the armed man open the wooden box after he knelt on the ground. "We've got to get him while he's distracted."

"I'll do it." Silently jogging towards the target, the blonde woman positioned herself behind the man.

"Freeze!" Sheila yelled, pointing her silenced Walther P99 at the rear of the man's head before he could stand up and use his Type 56-1 rifle. She carefully watched him as he slowly stood up. Moments later, the man attempted a backfist on Sheila. Billy, who had watched his partner from the side, decloaked himself and fired a silenced shot from his Walther P99 at the man's right leg, disabling him.

"Got your back, Sheila." Billy approached the downed man, still aiming his sidearm at the tango.

"Thanks." Sheila then deactivated her stealth camouflage unit. "Hey, you." Sheila addressed the wounded man before she took the Type 56-1 rifle and handed it to Billy. After handing the rifle to Billy, Sheila refocused her pistol on the man. "We need to ask you something."

Sheila and Billy raised an eyebrow when the man did nothing except to clutch his leg wound and smile at the same time, baffling the two SEA agents.

* * *

Kalinin's Cabin Cell, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Why'd you go and bring that girl here?" Kalinin, from his cot, eyed two armed men with Kaname in tow. One of them had his IMI Uzi pointed at Kaname's back as a means of showing off that the armed men in his cabin cell were there for business. "Are you just here to intimidate me or just make me waste time with her here?"

"She's only here for a means of getting you to talk, old timer.." grinned the Uzi-armed man. "My friend here's going to ask you some questions, if you mind."

"Like he said," The second armed man pointed the barrel of his IZHMASH AKS-74 right at Kalinin's face. "I've some questions that you need to answer right now." The man had his left index finger placed on his AKS-74's firing selector to set it with the three-round burst option. "First, who are you working for and second, I want to get some information regarding this... Lamba Driver that we were told about. So you better start talking right now..."

* * *

Gangplank, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

After scouting the area and finding it clear of any civilians, Liquid gestured to his RAINBOW counterparts to approach the wooden gangplank leading up to the SS George Clinton. Mantis, Raven, Viper and Owl had been providing cover for the RAINBOW team to move in to their spot.

"Looks clear to me." Liquid whispered to Ding, who crouched next to the British FOXHOUND CO. "Doesn't seem to be that much civilians working this evening. We should be able to infiltrate the ship without being detected."

"And our first target is the bridge?" Ding pointed to the bridge of the SS George Clinton with his gloved left index finger. Liquid only nodded in reply.

"All right." Ding raised his left index finger and moved in a clockwise motion. "Let's move out." Ding was the first to led his team up on the gangplank of the SS George Clinton. Liquid and his FOXHOUND team followed behind once he got a thumbs up from Karl, who stayed in the middle of the gangplank in order to see Liquid and the others still in the dock.

"Let's move." Liquid ordered his unit. He was the first to silently infiltrate the SS George Clinton with Mantis, Owl and Raven following while Viper stayed a bit behind to provide rear security before he joined up with his FOXHOUND comrades to walk on the gangplank leading to the moored cargo ship.

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Two more!" Shinji yelled, tossing two more live M18 smoke grenades towards the pursuing squad cars. Once yellow smoke had emitted from the thrown devices, the pursuing vehicles were either forced to stop or simply collided with one another in the confusion since the smoke hindered their vision of the highway.

"Right!" Ronald yelled back at Shinji, still crouched on the pickup's bed with his slinged ST ACR rifle at the ready. "That should slow those bozos down for a bit!"

"I'm all out!" Shinji yelled in reply. "I just hope we're near the target area!"

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Sergeant Sagara." Tessa spoke to Sousuke in an urgent tone. "How much longer 'til we can reach the target area."

"Around 5 minutes captain." Sousuke replied, helping Yang navigate the highway in the Chofu area. "Until then, we'll just have to keep speeding and hope the police doesn't catch up to us..."

* * *

Bridge, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Five armed A21 terrorists, four with IZHMASH AKM assault rifles and one with a Vietnam-era Colt CAR-15 assault carbine, were manning the bridge of the SS George Clinton in the middle of the night. All of them had seem bored keeping watch on the bridge for three hours.

"I don't know about you guys," commented one of the AKM-armed men, yawning. "but I'm bored with this job. Nothing's exciting from up here on the bridge."

"Yeah, same here." said the A21 tango, who fixed the sling of his CAR-15 on his left shoulder. "We just have to wait for Seina to get Takuma to the devil. And then," The man in his late 30s with black hair snapped his fingers. "the rest is history."

"Right." Another AKM-armed man went for the bridge's metal door. "Need to take a piss. I'll be back."

Just as the second AKM-armed man opened the main bridge door, he was suddenly confronted by Viper himself outside of the bridge.

"Hey, punk!." The second AKM-armed man shouted to Viper, who simply stood in his way. "Who the hell are you? Out of my way!"

Viper only responded to the armed A21 terrorist's anger towards him by retracting the left hidden blade, which resembled a katar, from his metallic-like sneaking suit's left arm. Surprising the armed A21 terrorist standing in front of him, Viper grabbed the AKM-armed tango by his throat before he struck a blow by stabbing the terrorist's chest thrice before executing a backfist that included a blade swipe on his neck.

"Yamada!" Before the other four A21 terrorists could react, black-clad figures consisting of Ding, Karl, Pak and Alejandro appeared from the outside of the bridge. Standing before glass windows, the four RAINBOW operators fired their MP5SD5s at the terrorists inside the bridge. The combination of the element of surprise and their silenced weapons swiftly killed the rest of the A21 terrorists without alerting the rest of their comrades as they were inside the ships.

"Tangos are down." Karl said, visually confirming that the terrorists were shot.

"Move in." Ding motioned to his RAINBOW comrades to move inside the bridge. While Viper stood guard outside the bridge after completing his handiwork, the RAINBOW operators began to aim their MP5SD5s at every corpse. Until Ding spotted a wounded A21 terrorist trying to grab his AKM assault rifle on the ground.

"Not today." Ding fired his MP5SD5 at the wounded tango's back, killing him after the American RAINBOW operator fired his weapon multiple times. "Good night." Ding lowered his weapon, now knowing that his target was down for good.

"They're all dead." Pak and Kan checked the corpses for any signs of pulse. "Looks like they won't be getting their weapons anytime soon..."

"You RAINBOW chums are impressive." Viper came in to inspect the bridge's interior. "Haven't seen those kind of attacks in a while..."

"Yeah." Andrew came in from outside, patting his black PASGT helmet. "Well you made a very unusual introduction on that A21 tango, whose throat you got slit..."

"What can I say?" Viper simply shrugged his shoulders. "When I do things like that, you've got to have class."

Alejandro, hearing Viper's words, simply rolled his eyes. _Yeah, whatever!_

* * *

Somewhere around Stern, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Looks like those FOXHOUND and RAINBOW guys did the job for us." commented Billy, who led the way to infiltrate the container ship via its stern with Sheila covering their rear. He had a Weaver grip over his silenced Walther P99.

"Yeah, I agree." Sheila nodded, using a fist grip on her silenced Walther P99. "So far, so good."

"Shame that guy didn't tell us anything aside from the devil." Billy sighed, while moving carefully around the stern. "Also tried to escape."

"Yep." Sheila replied. "And that when you fired two shots at his back."

"All right." Billy was in front of a metal door. "I'm opening it." When Billy slowly opened the stern's entrance, the red-haired SEA agent spotted a lone tango with a red bandanna, loose white shirt and brown pants in the corridor. The tango, however, had been seen sleeping by leaning his back on the metal wall with his Colt CAR-15 assault carbine with its rifle sling around his neck.

"I'll take him." Sheila whispered after seeing the sleeping terrorist. Using stealth, the blonde SEA agent crept up to the sleeping terrorist before standing a meter near him and raised her weapon. Sheila then fired three shots from her silenced sidearm in quick succession. The terrorist never realized the shots at his chest before he went down, back first. There was some sound made on the metal floor when the corpse fell down with the CAR-15 making additional noises as well.

"That's gonna leave a mark." Billy gave a short whistle, seeing the blood splattered on the wall with some of it dripping down as it had been the trail of the tango who leaned on the wall before he was shot.

"Did you hear that?" Sheila said, hearing the sounds of vehicles heading towards the direction of the Aomi Wharf.

"Yeah." Billy nodded. "But we better move." He then pointed to the corpse on the floor. "We can't stand around her since the corpse and the CAR-15 falling on the metal floor simultaneously made some sound."

"Right." Sheila agreed with her SEA partner, raising her silenced Walther P99. "We better move before the rest of A21 notices we're already here..."

* * *

Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What was that?" Takuma, now wearing a white and gray Arm Slave pilot suit similar to Seina, turned his head around facing the open ceiling above him.

"Something wrong?" Seina asked, who accompanied her "brother" with a few A21 terrorists armed with various weapons from Communist-made AKs to Western-made M16s with some IMI Uzis, Ingram MAC-10s, Heckler and Koch MP5Ks and Česká Zbrojovka Uherský Brod Škorpion (CZ UB) vz. 61 submachine guns. Flame Trooper and Predator were on hand to assist the A21 forces in the SS George.

"So this baby's the one that our _boss_ provided for you A21 people eh?" Predator whistled at the sight of the 40 meter, red-colored Arm Slave.

"The Plan-1501 Behemoth," Seina explained to the South African mercenary. "had been a gift to A21. I'm very thankful that your boss was able to give it to us as a donation to further strengthen our cause."

"So it seems." Flame Trooper replied. "How is it that this Arm Slave would be piloted?" asked the German mercenary said from under his Avon FM12 respirator.

"I am." Takuma said confidently. "I'm the one who's going to do it." He then gazed at Seina and smiled. "For my sister."

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, en route to Aomi Wharf, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"How much longer now, Sergeant Sagara?" Tessa asked Sousuke once more, feeling a bit anxious since more and more police cars were dispatched to pursue the Bluebird and the hotwired Hilux pickup.

"We're there!" Sousuke shouted, pointing to the Aomi Wharf ahead. "Target's inside the ship!"

"Okay." Yang grinned, tightening his hold on the Blubird's rubber steering wheel grip. "Here goes nothing!" Pressing hard on the Bluebird's accelerator pedal, Yang drove the automobile under high speed that he was able to get a lead away from the pursuing squad cars. Tessa looked behind to see the Hilux accelerating as well at high speed before the two vehicles were able to enter the stern cargo hold of the SS George Clinton via ramp.

**"You guys go ahead!" **Melissa's voice was heard on Sousuke's earpiece given to him by her when Melissa and Kurz arrived in Jindai High. **"I'll provide backup support from the outside and distract those squad cars."**

**"Understood, Uruz 2!"** Sousuke responded to Melissa's radio transmission.

* * *

Stern Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Okay, we're inside." Tessa had been the first to dismount from the Bluebird. Sousuke, Yang and Allen followed suit.

"Here." Sousuke handed Yang and Allen their olive green SRT/PRT uniforms, neatly folded. "Sergeant Major Mao told me that you guys should wear these right away."

"Thanks." Allen took his PRT uniform and gave the SRT uniform to Yang. While the two men took off their business suits and changed in a dark area of the stern cargo hold, the Hilux pickup parked behind the Bluebird. Kurz, Shinji and David emerged from the vehicle with Ronald hopping over from the Hilux's bed.

"Sergeant Major Mao's handling the business from outside." Shinji used his right thumb to point out the outskirts of Aomi Wharf, where gunshots were heard as Melissa's M9E gave her MITHRIL colleagues a distraction for them to infiltrate the SS George Clinton and rescue Kaname and Kalinin.

"Well," Kurz began to speak up. "we can't stay here for long. We gotta move in..."

"Right guys." Yang and Allen approached the gathered group, dressed in their respective uniforms.

"I don't think we've got weapons for you to defend the place..." Ronald said, eyeing David carefully. "And him..."

"It's all right." Yang replied, patting his shoulder holster. "We've got these."

"Okay." Kurz nodded. "You guys better stay here and guard the place." The German SRT operator eyed David. "That means you too. You're a civilian after all."

David raised his hands to defend himself. "All right. All right. Sheesh, what a vacation."

Sousuke pretended to ignore David's sarcastic comment. "We better get a move on, guys."

"Right!" Shinji, Kurz and Ronald said in unison.

* * *

Somewhere near Kalinin's Cabin Cell, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"You hear that?" Sheila pointed out a slightly opened door in one of the corridor that the two SEA agents had found moments after Billy and Sheila began infiltrating the SS George Clinton.

Billy nodded. "Yeah. I also hear someone's threatening inside the cabin."

"In that case," Sheila gripped her silenced P99. "We better get there and see what's going on..."

* * *

Kalinin's Cabin Cell, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"I guess I have no choice." Kalinin sighed, seeing that reasoning was of no use since the A21 terrorist with the AKS-74 assault rifle. "I suppose I could tell you."

"Finally." The Uzi-armed man grinned. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"But," Kalinin insisted. "I need one of you to get closer. I'll whisper it to you since I may tell you confidential things."

"I think that's fair." The first A21 terrorist shrugged his shoulders, adjusting the rifle sling of his AKS-74 on his neck. "But I don't seem to like this idea though." He then turned his head around. "Keijiro, cover me."

"Got it, Shin." Keijiro nodded, still keeping his aim on Kaname's back.

Moments after Shin moved closer to Kalinin, the wounded MITHRIL officer delivered an elbow attack on Shin's gut. Kalinin soon followed it with an uppercut on his chin.

"Oy!" Keijiro got surprised when Kalinin attacked his A21 comrade. "What the hell do you think you're doing there?" As soon as Keijiro raised his Uzi's barrel to aim at Kalinin's chest, he failed to see the intruders from outside the cabin.

Keijiro felt three shots fired at him, all striking the right side of his hip with an additional shot fired at his back. Kalinin and Kaname, the latter ducking by lowering her body and covering her head with her hands, also were surprised to see Keijiro shot from behind.

"Moving!" Billy kicked the door of Kalinin's cabin, allowing Sheila to move in and fire three shots from her silenced P99 at Shin after he fell to the ground from being punched and elbowed by Kalinin. Two shots struck his chest with a third shot that struck his right leg. Soon enough, Billy moved in and fired one more shot from his silenced P99 at Shin's chest to ensure that he was dead for good.

"What the?" Kaname whispered after seeing her saviors come in and save her from a life worse than death. She saw Sheila and Billy check the pulse of the two dead A21 terrorists.

"They're dead." Sheila told her partner. "Looks like we made it on time."

"I don't know who you two are." Kalinin grunted in pain, moments after sitting upright from his cot. "But I'd thank you both for saving us."

"No problem, Mr. Kalinin." Billy peeked out of the cabin to check for intruders.

"How do you know my name?" Kalinin asked, feeling confused that someone like Billy would know of his name. Not that he had made himself known to the public ever since he left the Red Army after what had happened to him in Afghanistan back in the 1980s.

"Someone told us about you, sir." Sheila said, taking the AKS-74 assault rifle from the floor. "We've heard about MITHRIL for some time now."

"But don't worry." Billy assured Kalinin and Kaname, taking the Uzi from the floor too. "We're good guys, too."

Kaname nodded. "Thank goodness. That's something good to hear."

"We better move." Kalinin stood up from his cot. "If I'm right, I overheard some of the terrorists about some Arm Slave that they're keeping out on this container ship."

"We saw some cables outside your cabin." Sheila slinged the AKS-74 on her right shoulder. "We could follow them."

"Good idea." Kalinin replied. "It might lead us there."

Billy checked the Uzi's 9mm 40-round magazine before he reinserted it back into the submachine gun's magazine receiver. "We'll lead the way, Mr. Kalinin."

"Of course." Kalinin eyed a Beretta 92FS Centurion pistol tucked in the waistband of Shin's pants. "Excuse me, but I'll have to take this first."

"Here you go." Kaname felt a cold sensation when she took the pistol from the corpse's waistband and handed it to Kalinin, the pistol grip exposed first.

"Thank you." Kalinin checked the ammunition on the Centurion when he ejected its 15-round magazine before he reinserted back into the receiver. "All right. We better move."

"Follow us, sir." Billy said, leading the way with Sheila following behind.

"Ms. Chidori." Kalinin addressed the student, while the two were following Billy and Sheila. "I personally want to thank you for keeping an eye for Sergeant Sagara. I apologize for any problems caused by him."

Kaname shook her head. _No. I don't regret what Sousuke did for me. Rather, I'm starting to appreciate him around since he saved me back in North Korea. _"Not at all, Mr. Kalinin. Not at all."

* * *

Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Gunshots." Flame Trooper had heard gunfire from the outskirts of the Aomi Wharf, which resonated all the way to the open ceiling of the SS George Clinton's bow cargo hold.

"We better move." Seina cursed before he faced her A21 comrades. "Takaya, get some men and follow me upstairs Tell the others to spread out." Seina took a Beretta 92F pistol from one of the A21 terrorists. "Something's up, we may have some unwanted guests."

"Understood, Seina."

"Takuma." She faced Takuma, standing next to her. "You better come with me."

"Right sis." Takuma nodded.

Seina then spoke to Flame Trooper and Predator, the latter already prepared with his MKE MP5A3 submachine gun, tactical vest and black balaclava. "You guys better come with me. I'll need all the help I can get."

Predator patted the South African Special Forces Brigade beret worn on his head. "Got it."

* * *

Cafeteria, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Freeze!" Sousuke had been the first to raid the container ship's cafeteria, finding two surprised A21 terrorists on break inside with a CZ Sa vz. 58 P and a Norinco Type 56 assault rifle placed on the cafeteria long table. The stunned terrorists didn't have time to fight back with Sousuke, with his Steyr SPP submachine gun and Shinji, with his ST ACR assault rifle, fired at their targets. They seized firing after their targets collapsed on the ground.

"Moving!" Ronald and Kurz moved in on the corpses. The former had fired from his ST ACR rifle with the latter his FN P90 submachine gun, ensuring that the terrorists were dead.

"Damn!" Kurz scratched his blonde hair heavily. "They're not here."

"This is obviously not a good place for A21 to keep their captives." Ronald suggested, adjusting the rifle sling of the Al Kadesiah slinged on his neck.

"In that case," Sousuke spoke to Ronald. "we better keep moving. We won't know what'll happen to Angel and Commander Kalinin if we stand around here and simply do nothing."

"I agree." Shinji replied. "In that case, let's go."

* * *

Engine Room, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Take this!" Raven, having armed himself with a Colt CAR-15 carbine taken from one of the dead A21 terrorists, fired his weapon on the upper catwalks with several A21 terrorists firing whatever assault rifle they have on their hands.

"Damn..." Ding said, ducking behind an engine turbine. "And to think that this was a lot tougher than when we took on Brightling's militia a few years ago."

"No time to remember the good old days." Andrew, who was next to Ding, peeked out to fire his MP5SD5. "We've got a lot of armed tangos after our heads..."

"Grenade!" yelled Karl, tossing an M68 fragmentation grenade to the upper catwalk. The grenade's detonation took out three A21 terrorists armed with Norinco Type 81 assault rifles.

"Crap!" Viper cursed, kneeling behind another engine turbine next to Owl. "We can't do anything since most of the tangos are firing at us from the catwalk."

"I agree." Owl replied. "Even I can't get Osan and Kohal out there. They're hard to replace, you know."

"Sheesh." Viper wined. "You and your damn marionettes..."

"If you can put yourself to good use!" Liquid scolded his subordinates, peeking out from the engine turbine next to Viper and Owl's position. "I could really use some help here!" The blonde FOXHOUND CO fired an IZHMASH AKMS assault rifle on the upper catwalk before his rifle ceased firing.

"Need to reload..." Liquid hastily ejected the 30-round magazine of his AKMS rifle. Before Liquid could reload his weapon, he spotted Mantis hovering near the upper catwalk.

"You guys must be tired." Mantis spoke softly to the A21 terrorists aiming their rifles at him. "So tired that you just want to rest so badly for good." The ex-KGB psychic operator grinned when he saw the armed men putting their weapons down.

"That's better now." Mantis continued to speak to the armed A21 terrorists on the upper catwalks. "But the guy next to you isn't going to allow you to take a nice, long break. So are you going to allow that or what?"

Both the FOXHOUND and RAINBOW teams were astonished when the A21 terrorists, who had previously fired on them from the upper catwalks, began to turn their rifles on each other without any kind of hesitation. Minutes later, automatic gunfire was heard from the catwalks as the A21 gunmen fired their weapons against one another before they collapsed on the catwalk's metallic floor, soon filled with dripping red blood or bullet cartridges.

"Okay." Pak whistled, seeing Mantis levitate himself back on the ground. "That was creepy."

"You must thank the spirits of the Raven that Mantis is on our side." Raven explained to Pak.

Ding, however, felt a bit confused and terrified at the side time. _I don't know about the others, but I'm really, really glad that Mantis guy's on our side._

* * *

Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Arriving on a catwalk that was over the bow cargo hold, Kalinin and Kaname had been escorted by Billy and Sheila towards the area after following miles and miles of long cable from the main floor of the SS George Clinton.

"Is that..." Kamane was stunned to see a 40-meter, red Arm Slave in the container ship's bow cargo hold. It had a giant head, body and arms with a saber strapped on its back, which would make it much taller and bigger than a regular Arm Slave used by most armed forces around the globe. "an Arm Slave?"

"Interesting." Kalinin observed the giant Arm Slave as well, surprised and curious. "I wonder how did the Arm Slave fit itself back there?"

"Quite a spectacular sight, isn't it?"

Seina appeared on the group's right side, accompanied by Takuma, Flame Trooper and Predator with some A21 terrorists at the ready. Kalinin, Kaname, Billy and Sheila attempted to go to the left, but were blocked off by four A21 gunmen. Two of them had Ingram MAC-10s, a CZ vz. 61 and a Colt M16A1 assault rifle. Takaya, Ishiro and Ishida later joined up with Seina after a minute had elapsed.

"I take it that you're all impressed by the Arm Slave that you see here." Seina grinned, aiming her 92F pistol at Kalinin. "But I think that you may have seen enough."

"What is that thing?" Kaname asked. "What kind of an Arm Slave is that?"

"Oh, that." Takuma shrugged his shoulders. "We call that thing the Behemoth."

"The Behemoth..." Kaname stared at the giant Arm Slave. _That thing is called the Behemoth?_

Takuma smirked and nodded. "That's right. I'm going to use that thing for one purpose."

"What are you talking about?" Sheila barked at Takuma, pointing her AKS-74 at Takuma with the other A21 gunmen led by Takaya to aim their firearms at her and her SEA partner with Kaname and Kalinin.

"I don't think you should have done that." Predator aimed his MKE MP5A3 submachine gun at Sheila. "Let the boy speak first." The ex-South African commando motioned to two A21 terrorists to snatch the weapons from Billy and Sheila with their sidearms, disarming them of their weapons.

"As I was saying," Takuma continued to talk after he got interrupted. "I plan to use the Behemoth there just to express myself out to the real world."

"What?" Kaname was angry about Takuma's intentions. "How can you use an Arm Slave like that? You'll just destroy nearly half of the Greater Tokyo Area! How can you call that expressing your feelings out?"

* * *

Doorway near Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Did you see all that?" Kurz poked out his head from another doorway leading to the same catwalk above the bow cargo hold. "The tangos there got the commander and Kaname." Kurz then squinted his eyes when he saw Billy and Sheila in the mix. "Wait a second. Did you guys notice that there's a red-haired guy and a blonde chick with them?"

Shinji sighed and tapped Kurz on his left shoulder. "Wipe your drool, my good man. You'll affect the mission."

"If I'm right." Sousuke observed the confrontation between Kaname and Takuma. "They've got some assistance from those two guys in the back."

"Yeah." Shinji was next to Sousuke. "Aren't they those guys back in the Zanzibar Land Independence War?"

Sousuke replied to Shinji's question, "Yes. If I recall their names, the guy with the suit's Flame Trooper and the other one with the beret is Predator."

"Sh-t!" Kurz mouthed foul language upon hearing their names. "Those guys." He began to grit his teeth. "We fought with those guys in Zanzibar over the course of the Zanzibar Land Independence War."

"But they're not the same comrades we use to fight with anymore." Ronald handed the Al Kadesiah sniper rifle to Kurz. "Face it. They're mercenaries now, just like us. We don't have to care on what their status is. They're already helping the enemy."

Kurz sighed, taking the Al Kadesiah from Ronald. "I guess you're right."

"So what's the game plan?" Shinji asked after the four SRT operators got together.

* * *

Stern Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Sergeant Ishiba?" Tessa asked her PRT subordinate, who was busy keeping watch when he used the Bluebird's engine block for cover after he had his SIG SP 2009 pistol drawn from his shoulder.

"Yes, captain?" Allen replied.

"Do you think Sergeants Weber and Sagara will be okay?" The frail teenage captain of the TDD-1 had asked out of nervousness, seeing that it had been 10 minutes since Sousuke, Kurz, Shinji and Ronald began to infiltrate the SS George Clinton to search for Kalinin and Kaname.

"I know those guys for some time madam captain." Allen explained his opinion on Sousuke and Kurz. "And I know those guys have made it in and out of every situation. So I'm sure they'll be fine for this one."

"Yeah, though we're not sure on the two masked guys that transferred to the TDD-1 a few weeks ago." Yang came from the entrance of the stern cargo hold, seeing police officer fire their sidearms at Melissa's M9E. "But they're on our side, so I guess that's a good thing."

"What's happening outside, Corporal Yang?" Tessa asked the South Korean SRT operator.

"Police are still firing at Sergeant Major Mao's M9E." Yang pointed to the outside world from the stern cargo hold with his left thumb. "And I'm seeing JGSDF choppers bringing in several Type 96 Arm Slaves to the scene, though they're still far off from the scene."

"Oh goodness." Tessa sighed, feeling a bit worried for her four SRT subordinates as they were still inside the hold of the SS George Clinton. "We've got to get out of here before the JGSDF and the police captures us..." Tessa then spotted David lounging in the Hilux's bed, smoking a cigarette in his mouth.

"Um..." Tessa asked David. "Excuse me, but..."

"Uh..." David sat up after leaning his back on the Hilux's cab, feeling a bit sleepy. "Did you say something?"

_I wonder why that man smokes his cigarette at a time like this? _Tessa sighed, feeling sweat fall from her forehead. "Um, never mind."

* * *

Doorway near Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Ready to take the shot here." Kurz, eyeing Flame Trooper through the PSO-1 scope's reticle of the Al Kadesiah, had been seated on the metal floor with his legs in a cross-legged position.

"Okay." Sousuke replied before he faced Shinji and Ronald, ready with their ST ACRs. "Kurz's ready. All we need to do is to storm the area."

"I guess..." Ronald flexed his arms, his ST ACR rifle slinged on his neck. "That could work."

"Since Kurz would provide us sniper cover," Shinji went to explain to Ronald on their situation. "he'll do suppressive fire just enough for us to rush in, take the enemies down and save Commander Kalinin and Angel."

* * *

The joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW team, in a similar location above where Sousuke and his MITHRIL comrades area, have observed the entire standoff from the shadows as they needed to find a way to storm the area and rescue the non-hostiles.

"Pretty interesting sight." Ding observed the standoff and eyed Billy and Sheila with Kalinin and Kaname. "Looks like a civilian's in the mix of things."

"Which would make things a bit difficult for us." Liquid pondered on the situation; he then stared at Mantis. "Unless..."

"Hmph." Mantis had his arms crossed on his chest. "I'll see if I can come up with something at once."

Liquid smirked. "I'm glad to hear that, Mantis."

* * *

Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Seina was a bit alarmed when she noticed that someone was firing a weapon behind her back. The A21 terrorist leader became startled when she turned her around to see Takaya take aim at her with his Pusan M16A1 assault rifle. "Takaya! What the hell is the meaning of this?"

"Oy!" Ishiro took aim with his vz. 61 at his A21 comrade. "Do you know who you're aiming at? She's the leader of A21!"

"I don't know what the hell's going on!" Ishida began to panic, seeing Takaya like he was sleepy though he was able to handle his rifle. "But snap of it, Takaya!" He aimed his Type 58A assault rifle at Takaya's head carefully since the latter was standing behind Seina, making his job harder since he was near Kalinin.

"I must..." Takaya replied, still aiming at weapon at Seina. "I must kill her..." Seina and the others were confused as to what Takaya was saying. _He's like in some sort of trance..._

* * *

Doorway near Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Don't know what's going on..." Kurz whispered. "But I'm taking him down." Ensuring that Takaya's head was in the center of the PSO-1 scope, Kurz pulled the trigger of the Al Kadesiah rifle...

* * *

Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What the?" Ishida panicked when he saw Takaya was shot in the head. Turning around to find out where the shot came from, Ishida was promptly shot in the neck. Kalinin covered Kaname by hugging her and ducking on the ground in unison to avoid being hit by a stray bullet.

"Sheila! Go!" Billy began to fight back against the A21 gunmen by kicking Ishiro in the stomach before he grabbed his right arm and executed a shoulder throw, throwing him over the railing to the bottom of the bow cargo hold.

Sheila grabbed her silenced P99 from Ishida's corpse, tucked on the waistband of his jeans. Eyeing Billy's silenced P99 nearby, she grabbed the sidearm and tossed it to the red-haired agent. Sheila was able to fire off a shot at Takuma, whose right hip was grazed by a 9mm bullet, when he retreated towards the Behemoth.

"Moving!" Turning her head to see the upper catwalks, the blonde SEA agent saw the RAINBOW team firing their MP5SD5s at arriving A21 terrorists from a stairway near the Behemoth's location. Liquid and Raven joined in the fight by firing their assault rifles alongside the RAINBOW forces.

"I have to admit." Owl complimented Mantis, staying behind Liquid and the others. "That was a good idea to use that terrorist as a distraction."

"Who was soon killed by someone else." Viper added to Owl's comments to the psychic FOXHOUND operator. "Though it wasn't part of the plan."

"Heh." Mantis chuckled, watching the gunfight between the FOXHOUND and RAINBOW teams with Kurz, Shinji and Ronald in a floor below them with Sheila and Billy performing unarmed combat on the A21 terrorists near Kaname and Kalinin. "I've sensed the arrival of those MITHRIL agents with some additional company."

* * *

"Thanks Kurz!" Shinji was the first to emerge from the doorway leading to the catwalks. Setting his ST ACR rifle to fire single shots, Shinji targeted an A21 terrorist with an IZHMASH AK-47 assault rifle covering Seina and Takuma as they were running towards the Behemoth. Three single shots made contact with the armed terrorist's chest, bringing him down. Flame Trooper was seen nearby, helping Seina and Takuma make their escape.

"Good work." Sousuke, following behind Shinji, patted him on the shoulder before he fired several rounds from his Steyr SPP at Predator. Predator crouched near the railings, which deflected most of the 9mm bullets fired from Sousuke's Austrian-made submachine gun.

"Watch it!" Ronald sidestepped as soon as he emerged out of the doorway with Shinji, slinged ST ACR rifle at the ready. "You'll hit Angel and the Commander!" Ronald pointed to Kaname and Kalinin with Billy and Sheila, who were behind the crouched South African mercenary.

"I'll get him!" Kurz yelled. The German targeted Predator by firing the Al Kadesiah on the guard rail, forcing Predator to stand up.

"Ikuzo!" Seeing a perfect opening, Ronald had his ST ACR rifle set to semi firing mode and aimed its 1.5x scope at Predator's chest before the ex-South African commando was able to take aim at Ronald with his MKE MP5A3 after he began to stand up. Upon seeing a clear shot, the Whispered SRT operator fired his weapon. Predator took several shots on his chest before he collapsed on the ground, only being able to get a burst fired from his MP5A3 with his right index finger depressing its trigger as he continued to fall on the metallic floor. Some 9mm bullets made contact with the metal walls surrounding the bow cargo hold, but none ricocheted towards the joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW team, the MITHRIL SRT operators, Kaname and Kalinin, especially towards the two SEA agents.

"Moving!" Shinji and Ronald conducted suppressive fire on the fleeing A21 terrorists before the former and Sousuke went up to secure Kalinin and Kaname while Billy and Sheila grabbed the Pusan M16A1 and the Type 58A assault rifles from the metallic floor, the former handling the M16A1 with the latter arming herself with the Type 58A.

**"Keep firing, guys." **Shinji hailed Sousuke and Kurz on their radios. **"Flame Trooper's still out there. We need to bring him down..."**

As Flame Trooper aimed his M9A1-7 flamethrower at Ronald and Sousuke, now able to safely retreat under suppressive fire conducted with Billy and Sheila providing assistance as the joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW located on a catwalk level above them, Kurz took carefully aim at the ex-GSG 9 operator while paying special attention to the M9A1-7's fuel tanks.

* * *

"Come on!"

Enraged at Predator's sudden death, Flame Trooper aimed his M9A1-7's hose gun unit in a 45 degree angel above the metal floor and fired off several burst from his flamethrower unit. Seina continued to guide Takuma, who had been grazed earlier by Sheila, towards the towering Behemoth.

"You son of a..." Not wasting any time any Kalinin and Kaname were safely escorted out of the area, Kurz fired a shot into the M9A1-7's fuel tank.

* * *

Doorway near Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"All right! Let's leg it out of here!" Ding rallied to his fellow RAINBOW operatives, seeing that Takuma had already entered the Behemoth's head cockpit. "We can't fight that Arm Slave! We need to retreat."

"Not yet." murmured Liquid, seeing the RAINBOW team retreat. "Looks like we've got some luck on our side." The British CO saw that fuel was leaking out of Flame Trooper's M9A1-7 flamethrower.

"May the raven guide me towards my target." Raven aimed the iron sights of his CAR-15 assault carbine on the leaking fuel. Firing a short burst from his weapon, Raven watched as the fuel went in flames as it raged towards the tanks before it combusted for a few seconds before it exploded.

* * *

"UWAHHHHH!"

_Who the hell shot him? _

Kurz silently watched Flame Trooper staggering about as flames were consuming his body bit by bit.

"My flaming rage will not..." Flame Trooper took a few more steps towards Kurz's direction. "end here!" With that, the ex-German Outer Heaven mercenary and Zanzibar Land Independence war hero collapsed on his knees before he fell on the metallic floor, face first.

"Kurz!" The blonde SRT operator turned around, seeing Shinji yelling at him.

"We've got to go!" A gunshot later rang out, forcing Kurz and Shinji to duck.

"Damn that woman!" Seina fired some shots from her 92F before she retreated from the catwalks, reloading her pistol on the way.

"I don't know what those ports are on that thing." Kurz took aim with the PSO-1 mounted on the Al Kadesiah, noting four holes on the Behemoth's head. He eyed the holes for a couple of seconds before he eyed the Al Kadesiah on his hands.

_Not much wind around the area above the SS George Clinton's cargo hold. Should be able to make the shot._

Squeezing the Iraqi sniper rifle's trigger after aiming the PSO-1 carefully, Kurz watched the 7.62R bullet make contact with its target. Visually confirming some sparks at the left hole on the Behemoth's head, Kurz silently made his retreat back into the corridor.

* * *

Corridor, near Catwalks above Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Kurz when back to the corridor, slinging the Al Kadesiah sniper rifle.

"It's a good thing you made it, Sergeant Weber. Thank you for your hard work." Kurz saw Sousuke was comforting Kaname by hugging her. Billy was seen introducing himself to both Ronald and Shinji, shaking their hands.

"Thank you, sir." Kurz nodded, eyeing Sheila nearby. "Is that...Sheila?"

"Kurz!" Sheila was happy to see Kurz, patting him on his right shoulder before she hugged him. "I haven't seen you since the Zanzibar Land Independence War. So this is where you've been lately."

Kurz enjoyed Sheila's hug before Kalinin coughed. "Ehem."

"Excuse me, sir!" Kurz stood at attention.

"Doesn't matter." Kalinin shook his head, taking the 92FS Centurion pistol from his trousers' waistband.

"We're from the SEA." Billy said, explaining himself to the MITHRIL agents and officer. "But I believe my partner knows most of you."

"SEA?" Shinji asked. "You mean the Special Execution Agency?"

"Yep." Billy nodded. "And you guys must be MITHRIL?" When the SRT operators and Kalinin stared at him with much shock, Billy raised his hands in defense. "We're good guys too!"

"Yes, don't worry about it." Sheila then nodded, pointing out to Sousuke, Ronald, Shinji and Kurz to Billy. "As you may see, I've fought with them in the late '90s in Zanzibar Land during the country's war of independence." The four SRT operators made collective nods, acknowledging Sheila's comments towards them.

"Sorry to break off any reunion." Kalinin said, reminding his subordinates. "But you guys will need to get out of here immediately."

"What about you, sir?" Sousuke asked.

"I'll take care of a little business." Kalinin was about to head back to the catwalks above the bow cargo hold when Ronald yelled, "Wait! Let me come with you!"

Kalinin looked at the masked SRT operator with a bit of hesitation before he agreed, "Though I'd say no, I guess I won't need some protection."

"Thank you, Commander." Ronald thanked his superior.

"The rest of you," Kalinin faced the other SRT operators, Kaname and the two SEA agents. "Leave this ship! It's not going to be pretty."

* * *

Stern Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Thank goodness you guys are alright!" Tessa was elated to see Sousuke and the others made it back.

"Where's the commander?" Yang asked, seeing as Kalinin was nowhere with them.

"He had to take care of something." Sousuke said. "With one of the guys too..."

"So this is MITHRIL eh?"

Sousuke, Kurz and Shiniji took aim with their firearms at an unknown direction. Liquid and his FOXHOUND emerged from the shadows with Ding and his RAINBOW team accompanying them.

"Impressive, I must say." Liquid smirked and clapped his hands. "Never have I thought that I'd met the legendary mercenary anti-terrorist group."

"Pardon me for interrupting your wonderful introduction," Kurz said sarcastically. "but who's the guy who shot Flame Trooper back there?"

"It was I." Raven stepped forward. "So it has been a while, Kurz Weber."

"Vulcan Raven." Kurz was stunned to see the Alaskan shaman with FOXHOUND. "Can't believe that you'd be with FOXHOUND after this time. So you were the one who did that?"

"Indeed."

"Oh, okay." Kurz scratched his head.

Sousuke eyed the parked Hilux, inspecting the bed. _Strange, where'd he go?_

"You!" Hearing that he was addressed, Sousuke faced Liquid as he heard his voice.

"Yes?"

"So..." Liquid observed Sousuke closely. "You are Kashim, right?"

Sousuke was stunned. _I haven't been called that since Zanzibar Land... _

Liquid smirked, "I thought so."

* * *

Outskirts of Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Staring at the police officers firing their New Nanbu M60 revolvers at the M9E standing near the SS George Clinton, David saw several Kawasaki CH-47J heavy-lift helicopters, with JGSDF markings on them, carrying several Type 96 Arm Slaves.

"Type 96s?" David watched the CH-47Js unload the Type 96s that were slingloaded underneath. "Must be going to conduct an anti-Arm Slave operation."

Shrugging his shoulders, the American began to walk away from the area. "I had enough for one area." However, he sighed before he frowned. "Strange thing is that I've spotted someone who looks like me back there on the container ship." David stared at the SS George Clinton. "Looks like he's managing FOXHOUND for Campbell."

_But one thing's for sure. _David went away from the Aomi Wharf and stopped near a pedestrian lane. _I'll going to have a mystery of my own if I want to know who my doppelgänger is. Good thing I sneaked out when those guys showed up out of nowhere._ David went across after the lane signal turned green, indicating that it was safe to cross. _Who am I to ask things? I'm on a vacation right now. That's right, it must've been my imagination._

* * *

Corridor, somewhere in the SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Sir, look out!" Ronald eyed an A21 terrorist with an IZHMASH AK-74 assault rifle aimed at Kalinin. Stepping in front of his superior, Ronald fired a short burst from his ACR rifle, killing the armed terrorist.

"Thank you." Kalinin lowered his 92FS Centurion. "If it weren't for you, I would've been shot."

Suddenly, the entire corridor shook very hard for a few minutes.

"Commander!" Ronald nearly fell on the floor, butt first. He kneeled moments after the corridor shook and had his right hand hold onto the handrail mounted on the wall in order to keep himself balanced; his left hand had been holding on the ACR's pistol grip.

"I'm all right." Kalinin stood up after the shaking had ceased. "The Behemoth must've been activated."

"The Behemoth, sir?" Ronald stared at his superior with much confusion. "You mean that thing we saw in the bow cargo hold?"

Kalinin nodded in reply. "Unfortunately, we won't have any time to figure things out. We need to follow their leader."

"Understood, sir." Ronald led the way, aiming his ACR rifle in his path. "We just saw her going her and the corridor's leads to the bow cargo hold area."

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Behemoth

**"Lamba Driver activated. Now initiating booting sequence." **

"Dammit!" Takuma's left fist smacked on the Behemoth's control panel, having grit his teeth from the graze on his right hip moments after he wore his Arm Slave pilot helmet. "This hurts..." Performing some commands on the control panel, Takuma saw on his LCD screen that the left side of the Behemoth's head was flashing orange.

**"Slight damage on the Behemoth's left GAU-8 Avenger gunport. Any use of this will result in malfunction." **Takuma frowned further when he saw the damage was done. "Crap, now the A.I.'s telling me things at a bad time."

_But who did that? _Takuma remembered seeing Kurz aim the Al Kadesiah at the Behemoth while he boarded the giant Arm Slave's cockpit. _Must've been that blonde guy. _His facial expression changed from a frown to a smirk. "But that doesn't matter. Once Lamba Driver's all up and running, nothing can stop me."

Takuma gripped his controls and began to manipulate them to allow his Behemoth to move around. However, its movements resulted in some moderate damage to the SS George Clinton since there's not enough space for the container ship to handle a giant-sized Arm Slave.

"Guess even that thick-headed Kaname Chidori won't accept my feelings for her." Takuma began to move the Behemoth out of its confined bow cargo hold space. "If I can't express my feeling to her for one thing, then I'll just have to destroy her in the end."

* * *

Dock, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Liquid, evacuating the FOXHOUND and RAINBOW teams out of the SS George Clinton after it began to violently shake, frowned at the mere thought of seeing a body double. _I could have sworn that I've seen my double in the SS George Clinton? I'd sort that kind of thing later. We're still in danger._

"We need to get out of here, madam Captain!" Yang yelled from the Bluebird U14, with Shinji driving the Hilux.

"But we can't!" Tessa objected. "We still haven't found Commander Kalinin or Uruz 11."

"Don't worry about them, captain." Shinji replied to his commanding officer from the Hilux. "They'll be fine!"

Tessa stared at Shinji. _How does he..._

"I've known Uruz 11 since we first met in Outer Heaven. He's a brave guy, I can tell you that." Shinji paused a bit before he continued. "As for the Commander, I've heard some things about him from Uruz 7. I believe in hin, and so should you."

But before Tessa can reply back to Shinji, the Behemoth appeared from the SS George Clinton as it began to sink into the ocean. Towering at the Aomi Wharf before the police, the joint FOXHOUND-RAINBOW team and the MITHRIL personnel, its eyes loom at the M9E that stood nearby.

"What the?" Viper simply stared at the Behemoth as it moved towards the M9E.

"I've never seen such as Arm Slave like that." Pak was at disbelief that a giant Arm Slave would exist in the modern period. "It reminds of those Japanese anime shows that I've watched..."

* * *

Bow Cargo Hold, SS George Clinton, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Seina!" As the flooding bow cargo hold, Kalinin led the search for the A21 terrorist group with Ronald assisting him by aiming around the area after he had his ACR's mounted laser aiming device (LAD) unit turned on.

"No good, sir!" Ronald gritted his teeth. "Place's getting flooded at every minute! We need to leave at once."

For once, Kalinin was ready to admit defeat. Everywhere he went in the bow cargo hold, there was nothing but water. But as he was about to leave, the Soviet MITHRIL officer saw someone familiar.

"Seina!" Seina was trying to stand up, who appears to be slightly wounded on her left hip.

"Don't move!" Ronald trained the LAD sight on Seina's head, ready to fire should she make a wrong move against him or Kalinin. Seina had her 92F pistol solely trained on Kalinin's forehead.

"Seina." Kalinin had his 92FS Centurion tucked into his trousers' waistband before he reached his left hand out to her. "It's not safe here anymore. Come on, we have to go."

Seina, eyeing Kalinin and Ronald, smirked at the two MITHRIL personnel. "Hmph! And why should I?"

"Lady." Ronald was beginning to feel irritated. "The man's offering you a chance out of this mission and you're turning him around?" He then had the LAD unit aimed between Seina's eyebrows. "Something tells me that you're going towards the wrong direction."

"Hold it." Kalinin had his hand on Ronald's LAD unit, pushing the ACR rifle down before he extended his left hand again towards Seina. "Come on, Seina. Trust me, I won't do anything."

Seina eyed Kalinin carefully. _I'm not sure. I mean, the old man's not armed since he placed the pistol on his waistband. _

The A21 leader began to slowly walk towards Kalinin, the bow cargo hold still flooding. But as she was nearing the SRT/PRT commander, Seina went from a walk towards a run.

"Hey!" Ronald felt pissed, his gloved left index finger ready to fire at Seina after getting a good shot lined up for her forehead. "I said, no funny..." Hearing a creaking sound, Ronald up to see what was wrong.

"Oh sh-t!"

It was then that Ronald realized that a falling metal beam was falling from somewhere on the SS George Clinton.

And it was plummeting down. Straight towards the three individuals.

Chapter 13 END

PS - Here's another chapter full of whupass action! Chapter title's taken from Gundam Wing's 41st episode.

For details on pistol grips that I've described, head to . for more details.

Just had my midterms and I passed it. Thank god! If I failed it, I won't be able to pass my Research Methods subject, which I am now growing to hate everyday since I find that it has no major relevant use except for charts and all that jazz! So yeah, figure that out for yourselves...

Anyway, heard the details on the novel _Semaru Nick of Time_ by Gatou-sama recently. Haven't read it, but it has some interesting details. Details that I can probably work on or probably integrate them in the next chapter of Overwatch. However, I'm not going to reveal them to you guys, so nyah XP

* * *

Since it's been 13 chapters, I thought I could reveal the small arms arsenal of Shinji and Ronald. I'll just focus on them for the entire site seeing as they're one of the story's main points aside from Melissa's unit. Not everyone may have caught up with it, so this is what I'd do to compensate. Most of these guys, you can search with Wikipedia or some sort of firearms site:

Ronald Chua aka Uruz 11:

Bernardelli VB series (VB-STR, VB-SR) - Italian-made version of the IMI Galil AR and SAR in 5.56 NATO calibers. Lack on info on any MAR equal.  
Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) Advanced Combat Rifle  
New Nambu M-57A - Though they use 8-round 9mm magazines, I changed them to allow custom 16-round magazines. After all, MITHRIL has a good R&D division XD

Shinji Kazama aka Uruz 13:

GIAT FAMAS series (G2, G2 Commando, G2 SMG)  
Singapore Technologies Kinetics (STK) Advanced Combat Rifle  
Heckler and Koch P2000  
Vektor Z88

* * *

Some Japanese words to know:

Ikuzo - Let's Go


	14. Hashiru One Night Stand

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Kalinin and Melissa would've made sure Seina was still alive as her character needed to be developed with more of Kurz's sniping action added in in disabling the Behemoth to prevent it from using the GAU-8 Avenger. Not to mention that Sousuke would've have bungled up in accessing the empty ballistic missile case to get the Arbalest ready in time at a time when Kaname and his MITHRIL comrades and superior officer were in danger from being turned into human paste by the Behemoth's metallic feet.

Summary:

With the Behemoth in operation from within the heart of the Aomi Wharf, it complicates the efforts of MITHRIL, FOXHOUND and RAINBOW with the arrivial of JGSDF Arm Slaves to subdue the giant-sized Arm Slave. Will the good guys be defeated for good in Japanese soil, or can they put a stop to the lumbering giant? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 14: Hashiru One Night Stand

Cockpit, Geotron Electronic M9E

"What the heck is that Arm Slave? I haven't seen that thing before!"

Melissa was surprised to see the Behemoth emerge from the sinking SS George Clinton. What made things worse is that the Behemoth's left hand was now reaching out to grab the M9E by its waist.

"Why you!" Melissa tried in vain to struggle with her controls, but found it totally useless as the Behemoth continued to maintain its strong grip on her Arm Slave.

"Got to get..." Melissa struggled with her controls, trying to manipulate her M9E to grab one of her Geotron GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter knives stored on its backpack to take a stab at the Behemoth and perhaps, be able to get away being alive and her machine still intact. She realized her efforts were doomed from the start when her M9's warning systems began to blare out, advising her to abort as great amounts of force were being exerted into her Arm Slave...

* * *

Dock, Aomi Wharf, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

**"Melissa!" **Tessa yelled when she ran up to Sousuke and grabbed his radio extender unit when she had asked for it from him. **"Grab your monomolecular cutter and use it on the Arm Slave! Do it now!"**

Tessa, with the rest of FOXHOUND, RAINBOW and the two SEA agents, helplessly watched on the side as the Behemoth began to apply more and more force on the M9E until it completely destroyed it. The newly wrecked M9E had parts falling onto the dock before it threw the wrecked cockpit towards the waters of Tokyo Bay.

"Melissa..." Tessa watched the Behemoth stare at her before it turned its attention back to the Type 96 Arm Slaves that were now on the ground, having its machine guns ready to fire at it.

"Captain!" Sousuke grabbed her right shoulder and shook it to gain Tessa's attention. "We need to get out of here!"

**"Yes?" **Liquid was on his radio when Owl pointed to his radio extender clipped on his pants' waistband, tapping on the earpiece on his left ear. **"We've got reinforcements on the way? Splendid, but you better hurry!" **The blonde man shouted, seeing the Behemoth activate its Lamba Driver in the form of a medieval heater shield that deflected gunfire from the Type 96 platoon. Ignoring the gunfire with the help of the Lamba Driver, the Behemoth had its functioning GAU-8 Avenger activated and its working gunports had facilitated the exit of the 30 mm bullets, gunning down every Type 96 in its line of fire.

"We need to retreat!" Ding shouted to Liquid, grasping his left shoulder. "We'll need another way to fight them besides standing around the docks and doing nothing..."

As the crisis continued, no one bothered to notice Billy and Sheila making their move to get away from the dock after they had activated their stealth camouflage units after most of the people in the dock were distracted by the emergence of the Behemoth.

* * *

Unknown, in waters of Tokyo Bay, Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

_Where am I?_

Drifting in the waters of Tokyo Bay near the sinking wreck, the bodies of Seina, Kalinin and Ronald were at the surface of the waters minutes after the metal beam collapsed from somewhere in the SS George Clinton.

_Commander Kalinin? And that b-tch! _

Ronald, trying to move, felt weak from the explosion that destroyed the container ship. He could only eye his commanding officer and the wounded A21 terrorist leader as their bodies were drifting towards the beach adjacent to a closed amusement park.

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"All right! Here goes!"

With Yang in the driver's seat, the South Korean SRT operator applied defensive driving tactics when he had the Bluebird make an immediate sharp turn to the right in an empty intersection before he adjusted his footing on the gas and brake pedals in conjunction with the gearstick.

"Okay!" Sousuke observed the surrounding area from the front passenger seat. Taking a glance behind him, he saw Allen ensuring Tessa's safety by covering her body with his.

Yang accelerated the Bluebird hard and fast, with the Hilux following close behind after Shinji also doing a sharp turn to the right as well.

"That thing's still after us!" Kurz yelled from the Hilux's bed, armed with his Walther WA2000 bullpup sniper rifle.

"Can you do something about it?" Shinji yelled too, poking his head out from the driver's window while keeping control of his vehicle.

"I can!" Kurz visualized the Behemoth chasing after them, using the mounted Schmidt & Bender 2.5-10X scope to eye the gunbarrel holes on the Behemoth's head.

_That's right! _Kurz aimed his WA2000 at the Behemoth, this time at the right gunbarrel hole since he had already shot the left one previously with the Al Kadesiah sniper rifle, kept inside the Hilux as the German SRT operator felt no further use of the weapon except to engage in anti-personnel activities.

_Come and get me, you son of a b-tch!_

* * *

Inside USAF Sikorsky UH-60L, somewhere over Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"It seems like a party's going on down there."

Kure Galanos, Greek RAINBOW operator, peered through the window of the UH-60L's cabin. She stared to see the red-painted Behemoth trudge on the streets of Chuo, pursuing the Bluebird and the Hilux, while stepping on anything that was in its way. Parked cars, phone booths and trash cans were being crushed by the Behemoth's metallic feet without any chance of second thought.

"More like a chase that you can see in Western television for once in your life, yes?"

Seated next to Kure was Sniper Wolf, one of FOXHOUND's two female operators and its only sniper. The Iraqi Kurd seem relaxed, not bothering to view the outside from the aerial safety of the UH-60L cabin.

"I'm not sure if that's the right time to say it." Kure got her Heckler and Koch PSG-1 sniper rifle from her lap and removed the lens covers that protected the front and rear glass lens of her Hensoldt 6×42 scope. _There's a lot of illumination provided by the lamp posts and from the buildings down there, but that Arm Slave could jeopardize our visuals..._

"For that case." Wolf did the same with her PSG-1 and removed the Hensoldt 6x42's lens covers as well. "I won't have any need for night vision. Totally ruins my concentration."

"Suit yourself." Kure shrugged her shoulders. _I wonder if she'll be able to put off a shot._

"We're going to fly a bit closer to the Arm Slave!" The UH-60L pilot yelled from the cabin. "Brace yourselves!"

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Crap. My head hurts..."

Grunting in pain over what had happened in the SS George Clinton, Ronald slowly got up from the grassy ground after being washed there by the waters minutes. The container ship used to house the Behemoth sank due to its activation as it provided no provision for giant-sized Arm Slaves to move around.

"I'm alive?" Placing his gloved right hand to get a hold of himself, Ronald removed his balaclava and gasped a bit for some oxygen before putting it back on. _No time to rest. Can't risk anyone else finding out about my identity. _He searched around the area to spot his discarded ST Kinetics ACR assault rifle, its buttstock a bit submerged near the shore whenever small waves splash on it.

"Good thing it's water resistant." Ronald walked a bit to pick up his weapon. "My ACR-P1's still working, I hope."

"Unnggghhhh..."

Ronald hurriedly move out to locate the source of the moaning, which came from the wounded Kalinin as he laid near Seina on the semi-grassy ground. "Commander!"

"Thank you." Slinging the ACR rifle on his left shoulder, Ronald knelt down next to Kalinin and helped him sit up. "How's the situation?"

Ronald shook his head. "Not good, sir." He then stared at the distance to see the Behemoth lay waste to the Chuo district of the Greater Tokyo Area. "That thing's making short work of Chuo. Unless it has some sort of weak point, I don't think the captain and the others would be able to survive."

The next thing Ronald spotted was a Sikorsky UH-60L chopper approaching the towering Behemoth from the west.

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Captain!" Sousuke handed his radio extender and earpiece to Tessa, with Yang still doing evasive driving to avoid being crushed by the Behemoth. "I've got Commander Mardukas on the line!" Yang swerved the Bluebird left and right with the Hilux behind them doing the same after sounds of a gatling gun firing from the Behemoth had several 7.62 NATO bullet streak down on the gray road gravel.

**"Commander Mardukas!" **Tessa said on the earpiece after she mounted it on her left ear. **"Can you hear me?"**

**"Loud and clear! Are you safe?" **Mardukas' voice was heard on the earpiece.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in Tokyo Bay, Japan

"The Tuatha De Danaan is currently located near the Kii Peninsula, en route to Tokyo Bay." Mardukas stood near the captain's chair in the TDD-1's bridge. "We're all on standby just in case."

**"Thank goodness!" **Tess thanked the ex-Royal Navy officer. **"But it's quite far..."**

"I also took the liberty of getting the Arbalest and Sergeant Chua's Falke ready." Mardukas said. "I had them placed in two empty Tomahawk cruise missile casings a few minutes ago as a precaution."

**"You had them already on standby, Commander Mardukas?"**

"I didn't receive permission to load them into the ballistic missiles..." Mardukas explained himself. "They're ready for launch in three minutes and they'll arrive there in six minutes. In total, I need nine minutes."

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

_Mr. Mardukas... _Tessa felt elated by her subordinate's situation.

**"I apologize for my actions." **Mardukas said, feeling sorry for his actions. **"I'm ready to receive any kind of punishment."**

**"No, it's all right. Please have them readied for launch."**

**"I understand, captain. Where should we drop them?"**

Tessa looked around the empty streets of Chou, looking for a good place to have the Arbalest and the Falke deposited. _Can't use an open area. The Arm Slave behind us might attack it. Downtown's not a good idea. Civilian casualties are the most of my worries. Somewhere with some slopes and all on the ground that the operators can use..._

The TDD-1 commander kept looking until she spotted a building in the distance that had the distinct shape of a pyramid built upside down with its flat bottom on top.

**"Commander!" **Tessa yelled on her earpiece. **"Listen closely! I've got a location where we can drop the Arbalest and Falke..."**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in Tokyo Bay, Japan

"You heard her!" Mardukas gave his orders in the bridge. "Launch them now!"

"Aye, sir!" replied the Weapons officer. "Launching from hatches 1 and 2." The Weapons officer later made a visual confirmation from her station that the first two BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles have already been launched, emptied of its offensive capabilities and had the Arbalest and Falke Arm Slaves inside with all of its weapons.

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"How is she?"

Kalinin saw Seina was heavily bleeding, seemingly from the left side of her abdomen, moaning while trying to regain consciousness.

Ronald replied bluntly to his commanding officer. "From the looks of things, I'm not sure if she can make it."

The Soviet MITHRIL looked at the masked SRT operator. "What about it?"

Pointing to the trail of blood leading from Seina's wounded side, Ronald explained. "She's got a lot of blood being drained out from her wound. Unless that gets patched up, I'm afraid she won't make it."

"Do you have something that can stop it?"

"I think so." Ronald moved toward Seina's limped body. "But for now, we need to get some blood circulating into her system..."

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What are you doing?" Kaname yelled from the Hilux's front passenger seat. "We've got a giant Arm Slave on the loose and on our tail!"

"Just tell him to maintain the speed and keep driving behind the Bluebird! Tell him to drive all the way straight!" Kurz yelled, moments after he warned Shinji to drive to the left in order to avoid being gunned down by the mounted GAU-8 Avenger chaingun on the Behemoth's head.

"O-okay..." Kaname replied. "I just hope you got a plan."

Kurz grinned. "Or do I?" The blonde got ready his Walther WA2000 bullpup sniper rifle and loaded a 6-round 7.62 x 67 mm magazine into the weapon. He then flipped its bipod and placed it on the front gate panel before he knelt on the bed, aiming steadily the Schmidt & Bender 2.5-10X at the upper right gun port of the GAU-8 Avenger on the Behemoth's head. _Upper left gunport's been taken out, now for the right._

_That's right. _Kurz gritted his teeth, mocking his monstrous opponent. _Go on and get me, you son of a bitch..._

Having been able to acquire his target, Kurz fired a single 7.62 bullet that went straight to its mark.

* * *

Inside USAF Sikorsky UH-60L, somewhere over Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Wolf whistled when she saw the upper right gunport on the Behemoth's head explode. "Looks like our MITHRIL friends have gotten themselves a capable sniper out there..."

"You think we should help them?" Kure asked, getting her PSG-1 ready.

"Of course." Wolf got her PSG-1 sniper rifle ready before she told the pilot and co-pilot. "Get us closer! We're going to disable that Arm Slave's gunports!"

"Understood, ma'am!" replied the UH-60L co-pilot.

"Okay!" Wolf gripped her PSG-1, with her hands on its pistol grip and front grip. "I hope you're ready."

"Ready as I'll ever be..." muttered the Greek RAINBOW operator and its only female sniper, kneeling next to the sliding cabin door.

* * *

Inside Toyota Hilux Pickup, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"What the hell?" Kurz stared at the hovering UH-60L over the Hilux. "It's a USAF chopper!"

"What the heck are they doing there?" Shinji yelled from the driver's seat.

"I don't know!" Kurz yelled back. "But drive a bit faster! Looks like they're trying to buy us some time out of here!"

"All right!" Shinji pressed hard on the Hilux's gas pedal. "Let's get a move on!"

* * *

Inside USAF Sikorsky UH-60L, somewhere over Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Fire!"

With the cabin's sliding door open and a clear line of fire, Wolf had been prone on the cabin floor. Kure was kneeling next to Wolf's right. The two female snipers fired their PSG-1s at the lower left and right GAU-8 Avenger gunports, having been able to acquire their targets carefully. They watched their fired 7.62 NATO bullets streak towards the remaining operational gunports.

"Now that's a good shot." Kure smirked, watching small explosion from the last two remaining two gunports, now were non-operational. "Looks like our work here's done for now." _Guess I was wrong about Wolf. She sure could do a shot like that._

"Take us out of here." Wolf told the pilot. "Our presence is no longer valid."

The Iraqi Kurd watched from a distance the Behemoth chase down its prey, but without its long range firepower.

_Whoever you are, you were a good shot. Looks like they are some capable snipers in the world after all._

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Behemoth

**"All four GAU-8 Avenger gunports are non-operational. I repeat, all four gunports are now non-operational."**

"Crap!" Takuma blurted his frustration by smacking his clenched left fist at the monitor. "At this point, I won't be able to get them with automatic weapons." The young boy had inputted a series of commands, resulting in input from the computer that told him of the anti-AS sword strapped on his back.

"Though I can't use that while I'm moving..." Takuma pondered on his actions, still manipulating the Behemoth to keep chasing the Bluebird and Hilux. "I can use it in case they'll try to do evasive action..."

* * *

Inside Nissan Bluebird U14 Sedan, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"There it is!" Tessa pointed to the two parachuting ballistic missiles in the air.

"What the?" Allen saw the Behemoth had armed itself with its giant anti-AS sword and took a huge horizontal swing at the parachuting missiles, destroying the parachutes.

"Damn it!" Sousuke cursed, watching the two missiles fall down inside the reverse pyramid-shaped building.

"I wonder if it's destroyed at that point?" Yang drove further towards the building, just being careful to avoid being stepped on by the Behemoth.

"Nothing can destroy those machines at this point." Tessa replied firmly, the Bluebird driving near the doors of the building. "That I can assure you."

"All right! I'm off..." Sousuke opened the door of the front passenger seat and leaped out, covering his face by placing his hands behind his head to minimize any impact should he have his head smack hard on a rough object.

"Sergeant!" Tessa yelled, seeing her subordinate jump out.

"No time, captain!" Yang yelled, preparing to make another sharp turn in a deserted intersection. "Just hang on tight..."

* * *

Main Floor, Reverse Pyramid Building, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Here it is." Sousuke went inside the building, seeing the hole in the roof with two huge ballistic missiles on the ground. _Good thing they haven't exploded yet..._

Sousuke rushed towards the missiles when he heard a radio transmission on his earpiece.

**"How are things going on back there, Uruz 7?" **Sousuke heard Kurz. _And I'm lucky Allen gave me his earpiece._

**"I've just reached the capsules, Uruz 6. They seem to be fine right now."**

**"Well, can you open it?"**

**"I'm trying." **Sousuke operated the hand lever of one of the paradropped missiles, revealing the M9DL Falke. **"All right, Uruz 6. Uruz 11's Arm Slave is in here, but he isn't around here..."**

**"I've got some word from Tessa." **Kurz replied. **"She'll give him the word. Now get to your machine and hurry!"**

**"Roger that!"**

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

**"Uruz 11 here." **Kalinin watched Seina while Ronald was speaking on his earpiece. **"Is it there? Alright, understood. I'll patch through the Falke in a matter of minutes. Uruz 11, out."**

"Well," Kalinin took the wounded A21 terrorist leader and made her lie on his lap. "is it working? The Behemoth, I mean..."

Ronald turned his head and glared at Seina. "Yes, it is. What now, should I clap my hands and say congratulations, Tokyo's destroyed?"

"Hmph." Seina glared back at the masked Ronald. "It doesn't even matter anymore. It can last up to 40 hours since it's impossible to destroy it."

"Like it is." Ronald stared at Seina before he turned his attention towards the lumbering Arm Slave. **"Initiate startup. Activate auto-A.I. Arm Slave function."**

"I felt sorry for him." Seina continued to stare at the Behemoth.

Kalinin eyed Seina, who was still bleeding a lot from the wound sustained when the metal beam back in the SS George Clinton fell on her back. "You mean Takuma?"

"Yes." Seina eyed Ronald, still making radio contact to boot up his Falke. "His memory got messed up and he suddenly thought of me as his real sister, who he killed a few years ago before I took him in and went to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to train."

"I see."

Seina tried to focus her vision on Kalinin, despite felling faint due to severe blood loss. "Are you going to ask me?"

"What?" replied Kalinin, without even trying to look at her.

"Why I saved you."

Kalinin still maintained his cold exterior, not staring at Seina. "Well I can guess why you saved me..."

"I hate you." Seina moved her right arm to reach out and grab Kalinin's left hand. "You speak like you know what you're talking about. You...made...me...sick."

"I see." Kalinin sighed. "I guess I apologize." He saw that the Falke was now standing up, with the Behemoth still a bit unaware of its presence as it used its anti-AS sword to stab at a nearby building.

"Can I know your name?" Seina grasped Kalinin's hand and gripped it tightly. "I want to take it with me..."

"Andrei Sergevich Kalinin." Kalinin answered, but still staring at the horizon with the Falke and the Behemoth standing in near proximity to one another.

"A strange name." Seina turned to see Ronald, still busy speaking on his earpiece. "I'd like to get your name as well, if you don't mind."

"I won't tell you my name." Ronald glared. "Seeing as I would like my name to be left anonymous." He had his ST ACR rifle slinged on his right shoulder with his left arm softly cradled on the rifle's front grip. "But I'll tell you what I'm known for..." Ronald walked towards Seina and knelt next to her. "I was called by the people of Zanzibar _Al-Aziz_ during the course of the Zanzibar Land Independence War."

"I see." Seina smiled, wanting to reach out and touch his masked face. "An even weirder name." Her right arm limped on the ground and fell into unconsciousness.

"Al-Aziz?" Kalinin asked his subordinate.

"Yes, sir." Ronald nodded. "Al-Malik Al-Aziz Osman bin Salahadin Yusuf. Second son of Saladin."

_Though I want to know why he's referred to as the second son of Saladin in Zanzibar. _Kalinin held onto Seina's body, wrapping his arms around it like a father would do to protect his child. _I'll ask him about it some other time. I remember hearing the name Saladin was Big Boss' alias when he retreated to Zanzibar and created a foreign legion army that fought in its independence wars from the Soviet Union in the middle of the '90s. And if I'm right, Al-Aziz was Saladin's second son._

"I think I can patch her up." Ronald went for his vest, searching its pockets for medical items that can used to close her back wound.

"All right." Kalinin laid Seina on her right side.

"Okay..." Ronald, now kneeling in front of Seina's back, examined her wounds. "Looks like it's not serious. Small wound, but she's loosing lots of blood loss right now. Looks like we'll have to close it. First, I'll need to remove the upper portion of her pilot suit before I start getting to work..."

* * *

Garage, Unknown Hangar-like building, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Damn!" Yang stared back to see the Bluebird and Hilux crushed by various metal beams and roof debris, moments after the two vehicles crashed through the garage of a hangar-like building. "Looks like our rides are toast..."

"Tell me about it." sighed Allen.

"What the?" Shinji saw that the Behemoth was now glaring at them, its left red eye staring at him and the other MITHRIL personnel and Kaname.

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Behemoth

**"Where is he?"** Takuma eyed at Yang, Allen and Kurz, the former cradling an unconscious Tessa in his arms. **"Where is Sousuke Sagara and that masked person?"**

"Don't know. Why don't you look around for yourself? Or maybe ask your big sister?" Kaname shouted back. Takuma observed through the middle monitor that Kaname was with the masked Shinji, who aimed his ST ACR rifle at the Behemoth.

**"How comical." **Takuma laughed at Shinji. **"Small arms like that can't harm my Behemoth!"**

"Ungh!" Takuma felt a shot hit the Behemoth. Luckily, his Lamba Driver was able to repel the shot, clearly showing that he was still making it work.

"Who the hell... DID THAT?" Takuma was now enraged, searching for the Arm Slave that took a pot shot at him. Turning his Behemoth around, Takuma saw that Ronald's Falke took aim at him with the Mauser MGK rifle.

* * *

Unknown Commercial Area, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

**"Target unknown." **The Falke aimed the MGK at the Behemoth, staring back at the black Arm Slave. **"Now proceeding to initiate anti-Arm Slave combat."**

**"Anna!" **Ronald spoke to his Arm Slave A.I. **"Don't get carried away. Looks like the target's called the Behemoth."**

**"Understood." **Anna replied. **"Target identified as the Behemoth."**

**"Don't mock me, you damn Arm Slave!" **Takuma, still enraged from the pot shot fired by Anna, prepared to face his opponent.

**"Good work." **The Arbalest appeared in the area and stood by next to Falke, having its Oto Melara Boxer shot-cannon at the ready.

**"It is no trouble at all, Sergeant Sagara." **Anna replied to Sousuke.

**"Will you two just listen to me for a while?" **yelled Takuma, having the Behemoth prepared to swing its anti-AS sword. **"Cause the both of you are going to be history!"**

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

Melissa Mao had emerged from the waters of Tokyo Bay, without having her Arm Slave pilot helmet worn on her head. Having her hair drenched, it was not a good day for her with her M9E unit crushed by the Behemoth.

"Goodness..." moaned the Chinese-American SRT operator. "I thought I was gonna die back there a few minutes ago."

"Had a nice dip?"

Melissa saw Ronald was busy patching up the back wound of Seina with Kalinin watching nearby.

"Sir?" Melissa asked her superior officer. "Do you know her?"

"Mmmm..." Kalinin nodded a bit. "Something like that."

Ronald paused from patching up Seina to see the Arbalest and his Falke trade shots against the Behemoth with their weapons, which had its Lamba Driver activated to ward off the shots.

"Looks like it's bad..." murmured Ronald, getting back on his earpiece to speak with Anna. **"Anna! Is there a way you found to get to that Arm Slave?"**

**"Negative." **replied the Falke's A.I. **"For the past 5 minutes, I have not been able to determine a vulnerable spot within the Behemoth."**

**"Just try and coordinate with the Arbalest for now. Uruz 11 out." **Ronald sighed after he ended his transmission with Anna, seeing that the Behemoth had even at the edge with its enormous anti-AS sword and its Lamba Driver.

"So how's it going?" Melissa asked Ronald.

"Not good." Crossing his arms on his chest and shaking his head, Ronald felt dejected by Melissa's question. "Seems that the hulking thing called the Behemoth is outclassing our Arm Slaves..."

"But wait a minute." Melissa went to ask Ronald. "If you're here and that black Arm Slave's suppose to be yours, then how are you..."

Ronald chuckled. "My dear," He snapped his left thumb and index fingers together. "that happens to be a trade secret."

* * *

Garage, Unknown Hangar-like building, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"I...feel..." Kaname began to squat, hugging herself. "so...cold..." She began to grab her temples, hearing voices over and over again. "Where are they coming from?" _Anademeinaooo. Jyukandaimodaona..._

"Are you alright?" Yang knelt next to Kaname.

"Cool...cool down?" Kaname stared at the unconscious Tessa, still in Kurz's arms.

_Ms. Kaname! _Kaname was shocked to hear Tessa's voice. _Listen to me! Please tell Mr. Sagara that he needs to attack the giant Arm Slave's cooling system with the Lamba Driver. And hurry!_

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"My head..." _Makes me wish I wasn't a Whispered... _Ronald muttered, crouching after he felt the same voices in his head like what Kaname had went through. "Come on Tessa... you could've used the radio..."

"Hey!" Melissa knelt next to Ronald, seeing him in pain. "You alright?"

"Yeah." Ronald simply stood up, forgetting the pain in his head. He then got on his radio. **"Anna. Load up a grenade on the MGK's underbarrel grenade launcher."**

**"I do not comprehend on this matter." **Anna felt a bit confused with Ronald's orders. **"You should know that a direct attack..."**

**"Yeah, yeah. I know that." **Ronald countered Anna's argument. **"Look. Just use the Lamba Driver and attack the Behemoth with the Arbalest. There should be a slit underneath its frame."**

**"A dashing attack should work like that." **Ronald and Melissa observed the Falke aiming the MGK at the Behemoth while the Arbalest used its Boxer shot-cannon to confuse the Behemoth.

_Wonder what Sousuke's doing? _Melissa noted that the Arbalest made a mad dash away from the Behemoth, taking some hits in its right knee. After turning its attention to the Falke, the Behemoth attempted to do a backfist at it. The Falke countered by replacing the MGK at its rear hip slot and performing a backflip thrice before it was out of the Behemoth's arm and sword range.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

**"Did you copy Ms. Chidori's transmission?" **Sousuke asked Anna, seeing that Kaname, Kurz and the others are out of danger especially since its gunports are destroyed by the sniping handiwork of Kurz with covert assistance from Kure and Wolf.

**"Yes, Sergeant Sagara." **Anna replied. **"We need to launch the attack now..."**

**"I'm way ahead of you!" **Sousuke charged at the Behemoth from the front. He saw in his monitors that the Falke was charging at the Behemoth at its rear.

_Don't panic. _Sousuke got his Boxer ready. _Remember that you'll be able to shoot. You'll be able to destroy it..._

"That's right! Like the last time!" Sousuke had the Arbalest execute a sliding move when the Behemoth attempted to thrust its anti-AS sword at him. Sliding near the Behemoth, Sousuke began to adjust the aim of the Boxer.

**"Remember that it's a narrow slit. Left or right will take care of it..."**

**"Understood, Ms. Chidori." **Sousuke then went straight to make contact with Anna. **"Did you get that?"**

**"Of course, Sergeant." **The female A.I. replied. **"As they say, let us kick some ass."**

"AAAAAHHHH!" Sliding underneath the Behemoth, Sousuke quickly fired his Boxer just below the left narrow slit like Kaname had told him. Likewise, the Falke fired the MGK's 50 mm grenade from its underbarrel grenade launcher at the right narrow slit. Blue light began to emerge from below the slits all the way to the Behemoth's shoulders, shooting a beam of blue light towards the sky.

* * *

Unknown Shore, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Sweet mother!" Ronald chuckled, clapping his heads in jubilation. **"Good work Anna. What's the situation?"**

**"100 percent destruction of the Behemoth has been confirmed, Ronald. Awaiting orders."**

**"Just be on standby until Captain Testarossa tells you to otherwise..."**

"Now that we're done..." Melissa asked on Seina, pointing to her limp body. "What about her?"

"I've managed to apply some dressings on her wounds and some bandages on it." Ronald said, adjusting the sling on his ST ACR rifle. "She should be fine."

"In that case, she should be able to live." Kalinin added.

"That's right." Ronald looked at the unconscious Seina. "Her name hasn't appeared on the wanted lists of the Public Security Intelligence Agency or any other law enforcement agency. I figure that she could probably have a good start."

"Sounds good to me." Kalinin smiled, seeing some semblance of hope for the now defunct A21 leader.

"Alright!" Ronald shouted to Kalinin, placing his right hand on his earpiece to better listen to the incoming transmission. "Got choppers from TDD-1. They need some kinda signal..."

"I'll take care of that." Melissa had a signal flare pistol on her left hand. "Had this with me when my M9 was busted."

* * *

Unknown Commercial Area, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"Thank goodness you're all here!" Tessa, accompanied by Allen, went on her way to greet the Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare chopper that transported Kalinin, Melissa and Ronald. Kurz and Kaname were talking with Sousuke, standing near the kneeling Arbalest and Falke Arm Slaves. Shinji and Yang were checking the corpse of Takuma, after the latter personally extracted him from the wrecked Behemoth cockpit.

"Captain!" Kalinin saluted Tessa. Melissa and Ronald did the same. "I'm glad you're all right."

"Um..." Tessa peered over Kalinin's shoulders to see Seina, in a stretcher with her hands on her laps placed in plasticuffs.

"I'm responsible for that..." Ronald raised his hand a bit. "She could still be a threat."

"Perfectly understood, Sergeant." Tessa replied. _Good thing you didn't say his name out loud or Melissa would want my head..._ "So she's the leader..."

"...of A21, madam captain." Kalinin answered.

"She seems quite young." Tessa commented.

"No one's too young or old to fight." Ronald offered his thoughts. Melissa, however, eyed the masked SRT operator with curiosity.

Two UH-60L choppers bearing USAF markings soon landed. Liquid and some FOXHOUND Light and Heavy Infantrymen clad in balaclavas, the former having MOLLE web gear and the latter being outfitted with Pro-Tec helmets, heavy body armor, leg holsters and black elbow pads, emerged out of the first UH-60L chopper. They were armed with GIAT FAMAS G2 assault rifles.

"Fan out and secure the area!" Liquid gave the orders to the infantrymen. Moments later, a brown-haired man with a mustache and beard emerged out of the chopper wearing what appears to be American Woodland uniform with minimal insignias showing the FOXHOUND logo with a black FOXHOUND beret worn on his head.

"FOXHOUND..." Melissa whispered, seeing the FOXHOUND patch on the bearded man's uniform was being depicted as a fox with a combat knife, blade held by its mouth.

"Interesting." Ronald noticed that from the second UH-60L chopper emerged several men in black overalls, balaclavas and PASGT ballistic helmets and armed with Colt M4A1 assault rifles. "Must be RAINBOW." _Looks like I may be visited by Wraith on this incident..._

"So you must be the Tessa Testarossa." Liquid approached Tessa, shaking hands with her.

"Well, um..." Tessa was at a loss to explain herself.

"My colleagues in the CIA has some intelligence on you, Ms. Testarossa. So you're quite familiar with them." Liquid smirked before he chuckled. "But you don't have to worry. They only have intelligence on you as a civilian. Our analysts in FOXHOUND have more intel on you with MITHRIL, but that's for another time."

"I see." Tessa answered.

"Besides," Liquid pointed to the kneeling Arbalest. "I'd like to speak to the pilot of that Arbalest. I was quite impressed with his actions when he fought against the giant Arm Slave."

"Oh." Tessa was a bit surprised. _I never expected the CO of FOXHOUND to speak with Mr. Sagara._

"If you excuse me..." Liquid slightly bowed, befitting the mannerism of someone who had been raised by an upper class family resembling the manners of an Englishman back in the Victorian Era. "I'll leave you for now while my subordinate would speak with you..."

"I'm Colonel Mark Cortez." Mark shook Tessa's hand. "I'm FOXHOUND's chief officer in charge of tactical operations." He then moved on to shake hands with Kalinin. "I joined FOXHOUND back then in the middle of the 1990s when I served under the Colombian Army."

"Did you serve with special forces, Colonel Cortez?" Ronald asked, who had earlier saluted Mark with Melissa.

Mark addressed Ronald's question, "Yes, I did. I served with Agrupación de Fuerzas Especiales Antiterroristas Urbanas or the AFEUR when it was first formed."

"Excuse me?" Melissa didn't get most of the Spanish that Mark had said.

"Oh, pardon me." Mark replied. "AFEUR in English means Urban Counter-Terrorism Special Forces Group."

"I see." Ronald seemed interested by Mark's history.

"So did you plan the entire operation, Colonel Cortez?" Kalinin asked, touching his dressed leg after it had been grazed back in the sinking of the SS George Clinton.

"Only for the operation against the giant AS that you MITHRIL guys took care of." Mark used his left thumb to point out the Behemoth's destroyed remains behind him. "I only came here back from our HQ in California in an emergency flight due to the urgent need of containing the situation."

* * *

Near wrecked Behemoth, Unknown Commercial Area, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"There you are, Kashim." Liquid approached Sousuke, resting next to the kneeling Arbalest. Guarding the Arm Slave nearby were some FAMAS G2-armed FOXHOUND Heavy Infantrymen, ready to repulse any attack on the perimeter.

"You look quite familiar." Sousuke observed Liquid, taking note of his facial features and his blonde hair. "Yes, that's right. You remind me of someone from Zanzibar I know back from its independence war..."

Liquid placed his right hand on his chin, caressing it. "I see. Looks like I'm being a bit known from my father."

"Your father?" Kurz, overhearing the conversation, was confused what Liquid had mentioned. "You mean the head of Zanzibar Land's foreign legion contingent?"

"So that's how it is." Liquid sighed. "Whenever I talk to people like you, the first thing that comes to their mind is my own old man. A hero of the first years of the Cold War in the 1960s and 70s." When Sousuke, Kurz and even Kaname stared at Liquid, the British-raised man reassured them of what he said earlier. "But that's not the point anyway."

"Well, whaddaya know." Shinji came towards Liquid with Yang and Allen. "The man who escaped Iraqi captivity under the Iraqi Republican Guards during the Persian Gulf War. Never expected to meet someone like you around here these days."

"Yep." Liquid grinned. "That was back in the SAS."

"So what now?" Sousuke asked the FOXHOUND CO.

"I don't know." Liquid stared at the kneeling Arbalest. "I don't know what the future will hold for you and me." He then stared back at Sousuke and smirked. "But I have a great feeling that you may have a better future ahead of you, young Kashim."

"What's with Kashim?" Kaname whispered to Kurz. The German simply shrugged his shoulders.

Liquid observed Shinji, Yang, Allen, Kaname and Kurz standing near Sousuke's proximity. Afterwards, the blonde raised his left eyebrow and smirked at Sousuke again.

"I'll only say this once to you, Kashim." Liquid turned his back on Sousuke and shoved his hands on the pockets of his brown trenchcoat. "You seem to be starting in MITHRIL, though your eyes are telling me that you've been a veteran yourself. You probably were fighting for a long time."

_What's his point? _Sousuke was not sure how to make of Liquid's advice.

"You got two good legs there, my friend." Liquid said, eying Sousuke from over his right shoulder. "Stand up on them all the time. And when you're getting into trouble, just remember the things you did in the past before you made it here."

Liquid walked away towards the idle MH-67 Pave Mare before he said, "I hope you'll succeed in the future."

"Wait!" Sousuke shouted to Liquid. "How did you know my name?"

Liquid, not turning his head around, simply walked on away from him while having a smirk on his face. "I guess you didn't know the reputation you had since the Zanzibar Land Independence Wars, didn't you? You were a hero. Remember that."

_And a hero that the people of Zanzibar will remember you for generations to come, like all those who had fought in its soil._

* * *

Near Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare, Unknown Commercial Area, somewhere in Chuo, Tokyo, Japan

"That masked guy wanted you to look at this." Mark motioned Liquid to peek inside the Pave Mare's cabin, seeing Seina still unconscious and in her plasticuffs. "We've got some assurances from the little girl and Mr. Kalinin regarding her. Her name didn't appear in any of the law enforcement wanted lists since she went all way to have her name and stuff underground ever since a media news team had an accident with A21 representatives 10 years ago."

Liquid pondered on the Colombian's suggestion. "Now that you've mentioned that, it could be plausible." He then stared at Tessa, speaking with Melissa with Kalinin being tended to by a couple of FOXHOUND Light Infantrymen as they had battlefield medicine training. Ronald simply ignored what was going on and stared to see the waters of Tokyo Bay after he unslinged his ST ACR rifle. Seconds later, Shinji sat down next to him with his ST ACR rifle placed on his side.

"But if you think about it." Mark voiced a concern. "The Pentagon's not going to like this if they get wind of Seina here," He pointed to the unconscious former A21 terrorist leader in the cabin with his left thumb. "especially when they find out that she's the current and last head of A21."

"You're right." Liquid shared his subordinate's concern. "I'll try and think of a solution to this..."

* * *

Main Lobby, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Singapore

In the lounge area of the Fullerton Hotel Singapore, Gauron was once again dressed up in a business suit speaking on his mobile phone. The mercenary didn't notice that his guest had arrived, who decided to sit in the couch next to him. Gauron, seeing the person next to him, began to end his call on his Nokia 8250.

"I apologize if I didn't notice you." Gauron smirked, placing his 8250 on the lounge table.

"No need to worry, Gauron." assured his companion. He had the appearance of an 18-year old with neat black hair and had a white polo shirt and brown trousers. "I suggest that you have a reason for calling me here?"

"Got some news about it Red Fox." sighed the international mercenary/terrorist. "I've got word from the highers up that the Behemoth we gave to A21 was destroyed."

"Must be with them MITHRIL guys..." pondered Fox.

"Mr. Gold's been a bit frustrated about this." Gauron took the glass of regular Coke from the lounge table before he took a slight sip. "Said he wants the thing in Afghanistan to get started right away."

Fox raised his eyebrow. "Isn't that why Zaied is in Afghanistan? To meet up with a representative from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan military?"

Once Gauron nodded, Fox smirked and yawned. "Just one more thing. When we're in public, I want to be referred to as Chen Siu Wen or simply Paul Chen. Can't risk having my cover being blown."

* * *

After the Behemoth incident in the Greater Tokyo Area had passed for a day, a Bombardier Learjet 45 business aircraft flew over the Western Pacific Ocean for 10-11 minutes after takeoff from Japan.

Ronald Chua and Shinji Kazama had been recalled back to Merida Island, thus the reason why they have to wear their SRT uniforms after the plane took off from New Tokyo International Airport to avoid suspicion from airport security. Their belongings had been placed into duffel bags, mostly with clothes as their firearms had already been taken care of by MITHRIL operators working under the cover of Umantack Shipping's Japanese branch.

As the the Learjet 45 began to approach Merida Island, the plane began to slowly descend towards the crescent moon-shaped island while its pilots went to direct their descent towards one of the island's camouflaged aircraft runways.

* * *

Aircraft/Arm Slave Hangar, Merida Island

"Welcome!" A Merida Island crewman with brown hair waited for Ronald and Shinji to disembark from the Learjet 45 via passenger stairs after the aircraft had parked in a suitable spot near the entrance to the hangar.

"Thanks!" Ronald and Shinji saluted the crewman, wearing their balaclavas the moment the Learjet made a touchdown on the camouflaged runway. The two were carrying their duffel bags.

"I heard that you're suppose to report to the captain's office." The crewman escorted Ronald and Shinji towards the hangar's entrance. "Just head to your rooms first and deposit your things there." The two balaclava-clad SRT operators were given two thin pieces of paper, which had details on their assigned rooms in the barracks section of Merida Island.

"Thanks a lot." Ronald shook hands with the crewman before Shinji had his turn. After the two said their thanks, they proceeded to the barracks section of the Merida Island Base before they deposited their duffel bags and went straight to Tessa's office to report in on their arrival.

* * *

Teletha Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"At ease, you two." Tessa greeted the two SRT operators who had arrived in Merida Island, rendering them a salute since Ronald and Shinji were the first ones to salute her. "Good work for yesterday back in the Aomi Wharf. We were able to avoid civilian casualties thanks to your efforts."

"Understood, captain." Shinji replied from his parade rest position. "It was nothing at all."

"That's right." Ronald too echoed Shinji's comments from his parade rest position also. "It was nothing at all."

Tessa giggled at the antics of her two masked subordinates. _The way they say it, they sound like comedians. _After the fit of laughter from the commander of the TDD-1, Tessa placed her commander's tone back as she told Ronald and Shinji that they were done, "Since everyone in the TDD-1's having some time off from the field, I believe you two should too." The silver-haired girl threw a smile for her last order of the day. "Have some rest. I believe you two will need it."

"Thank you, captain." Ronald answered, getting into a salute after he clicked his feet on the ground. Shinji did likewise, following his friend's movments.

"All right." Tessa leaned a bit back into her chair. "Dismissed."

Watching Ronald and Shinji take their leave, Tessa waited a bit for Shinji to exit her office. "Hold it, Sergeant Chua.", said Tessa once Shinji had physically left her office. "Can you stay for a while? I just need to talk."

"All right..." Ronald was not sure what the Whispered officer would like to speak to him about. _I wonder what this is about..._

"Firs things first." Tessa now stood in front of Ronald, making the latter nervous. "I want you to take that balaclava off." Before Ronald could object, Tessa placed her clenched fists over her hips to make a point. "And that's an order."

"Fine..." Ronald took off his balaclava and pocketed it in his right pants pocket before he used his right hand to shuffle his semi-short black hair. With his hair length and his neat Asian facial features, Tessa thought that Ronald can easily pass himself off as a high school student, not like some particular sergeant who she happens to be very familiar with...

"I do like it when I can see your face." Tessa lifted her left hand and used all of her fingers, save her thumb, to trace Ronald's cheek. The Chinese-Filipino had tried not to blush, especially since the two were alone in her office. With that in mind, anything can easily happen between the the two of them. "It shows your good side." She gave out a beaming smile to her _long lost friend _from her MITHRIL officer candidate days.

"I...um..." Tessa giggled when she heard Ronald stutter. The American teen couldn't help it; she remembered hearing stories from Admiral Borda about his nervousness when it came to the opposite sex. But after spending time with him, Tessa noted that his anxiousness had disappeared for a bit.

* * *

_"Hi!" Tessa waved to Ronald in a corridor, who was speaking to Admiral Borda. She had left a seminar regarding Sun Tzu's the Art of War, which had been deemed a necessary requirement for MITHRIL's potential officer candidates as part of its officer candidate course. _

_"Ah! There you are, Ms. Testarossa..." Borda grinned, placing a hand on Ronald's right shoulder. "I notice that you two are getting along very well."_

_As always, Tessa smiled at the Admiral upon hearing some good words about her. "Why thank you, Admiral."_

_"Um..." Ronald adjusted the jacket of his MITHRIL's officer uniform. Admiral Borda raised an eyebrow when he saw Ronald's cheeks turn red. "Er, yeah. That's right.."_

_"Kid these days." Borda shook his head. "Well anyway , I better go. I have to give another seminar to the new officer candidate recruits."_

_"Good luck." Tessa waved goodbye to the Admiral. But before Admiral Borda could leave, he gestured to Ronald to come along with him. Though Tessa couldn't hear what Borda was telling him, she eyed Borda's lips and from the way it moved, it certainly was not good news for her friend._

* * *

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"You know," Tessa frowned, removing her hand from Ronald's face. "I wasn't able to figure out what Admiral Borda said to you that day back when we were officer candidates..."

"About that..." Ronald felt the need to sweat when she asked him about what Admiral Borda had offered the ex-officer candidate. "Well, the Admiral told me that if I were to do anything _with _you, he said that he would personally find a way to ensure that he would castrate me and make sure that I won't be able to have any descendants in the near future." Tessa frowned again when Ronald nervously swallowed his saliva.

_Uncle Jerry... _Tessa sighed upon hearing what Ronald had to say. _At that time, he thought of me as his only daughter after mom and dad were killed. _"Um, listen." Tessa reassured her friend and now SRT subordinate. "Everything should be fine. Ah ha... I'm sure the Admiral was only joking."

Ronald couldn't see what was worse; whether Tessa was smiling after he told her of Admiral Borda's _threats _to castrate him if he gets serious with Tessa or with her unchanging concern despite that his well-being could be in danger. _Darnit! Tessa's keeping that neutral, happy face. Sometimes, I really wonder if she's concerned about me._

"Right..." Ronald trailed off, not believing that he had heard some sort of reassurance from Tessa. "I'm actually hearing this from you."

"Now as your commanding officer," Tessa ushered him towards the door of her office, still keeping her gracious smile adorned on her face. "I suggest you get some rest now. Since you did well in the Behemoth case the other day, I believe some R&R is in order for you, kay?"

"Okkkayy..." Ronald was led out of Tessa's office. _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

* * *

Ronald's Quarters, Merida Island

"Damn, I'm beat..." Ronald had entered his quarters, which had belonged to an ex-commissioned officer before he had been reassigned to another MITHRIL facility. The quarters had been refurbished as it had been constructed in the mid 1990s.

"Sweet." Ronald gave a wolf whistle. "Nice room."

Dropping his duffel bag on one of the couches in the room, he unzipped it and took the red Zanzibar Land beret. It was usually meant for the nation's elite rapid response unit, the Zanzibar Guards Regiment. Ronald only received it since he had fought alongside it during the country's independence war. But that would be another story for another time.

"Since I'm on R&R as Tessa _wanted _me to do," Ronald opened the door leading out of his quarters while he donned the beret. "I may as well visit the cafeteria."

* * *

Cafeteria, Merida Island

Ronald entered the base's cafeteria, earning him the looks of several of the off-duty SRT/PRT personnel, TDD-1 maintenance crewmembers and even from the cafeteria cooks themselves.

"Ah. Whatever." Taking a seat from one of the empty chairs, the masked SRT operator observed the LCD TV monitor placed on the wall high above reach of any average person. It had been broadcasting CNN for the past 5 minutes.

**"We bring you updates regarding the attack of the giant Arm Slave in Tokyo yesterday evening."** Ronald was curious to hear what CNN had to say regarding the attack. **"Near the waters of Tokyo Bay, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces had been, for the first time, deployed to conduct internal security measures to deal with a red Arm Slave near Aomi Wharf since the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Army."**

Ronald saw that from viewing the Behemoth and JGSDF Type 96 Arm Slaves at ground level, the battle might have been taken by a bystander before he or she gave the footage to the media.

**"It had been a media disaster for the JGSDF with their Arm Slaves defeated by the giant-sized Arm Slave in Tokyo's Chuo district yesterday after a call came to the Japanese Defense Agency from a request sent from the National Police Agency." **Ronald saw the Behemoth had fired its functioning gunports of the GAU-8 Avenger, turning the Type 96s into swiss cheese. **"However, members of the High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND had been able to quell the Arm Slave and subdue it. In a press statement jointly released by representatives of United States Forces Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Public Security Intelligence Agency, it said that the perpetrators of the incident were from the group A21. A former juvenile reform group, its members have went underground after a media crew from the NHK had been killed in an accident during the filming of a documentary regarding A21's methods of reforming its juvenile delinquent members." **

_I feel sorry for those A21 guys now... _Despite hearing a commotion going on in the cafeteria, Ronald heeded no mind to it as he preferred to relax by watching the rest of the CNN news feed regarding the attack in Tokyo's Chuo district.

All of a sudden, Ronald felt someone tap lightly on his right shoulder.

"Whatever it is," Ronald softly said. "I'm busy watching the CNN news right now on TV. That can probably wait..."

"I'm afraid that it won't be able to wait for a while."

Hearing an all-familiar voice, Ronald slowly turned his head around. _Please let it be someone else. Please it be someone else. Please let it be someone else. Please let it be someone else._ What he saw that the most surprising thing ever.

"Captain!" Ronald was shocked to see Tessa, smiling, behind him. He nearly fell down from his chair when he saw the captain had been behind him while Ronald had been watching the news. Next to her was a very nervous Sousuke. Unlike the usual serious conduct that he had always shown before his superiors and his MITHRIL colleagues, Ronald saw that Sousuke had been a bit sweating and was a bit shaking.

"Er...ummm..." Ronald was now nervous as well like Sousuke, feeling that someone bad had already happened. "What is it that you want from me?"

"I know that it's your R&R period," Tessa began, explaining herself. "but can you please come with me and Sergeant Sagara? I need help from the both of you this instant."

"I guess." _Though I could say no, I have yet to meet Tessa's wrath if and when she gets angry. _Standing up from his chair, Ronald lazily followed Tessa and Sousuke out of the cafeteria.

* * *

Beach, Merida Island

"Sergeant Sagara." A now furious Ronald, still wearing his balaclava and Zanzibar Land Guards beret despite the appearance of the sun, asked Sousuke with a bit of a disappointed tone. "Please tell me again why are we in the beach of this time of day? We're suppose to be getting some R&R, right?"

"I know how you feel, really I do." Sousuke whispered, since Tessa was now exercising near them in her white shirt and blue jogging shorts. An unusued M9E Arm Slave was seen behind her on its hands and knees. "But some things have been going between her and Sergeant Major Mao a few minutes ago."

_Achie did something to tick off Tessa? This is something I gotta her from Sousuke. _"Yeah." Ronald whispered back. "Tell me about it. And don't forget to lay out all the details on it."

"Okay guys! I'm all ready." Tessa waved to the two SRT operators, forcing Sousuke and Ronald to stop whispering to each other since their attention has to go to their commanding officer. Neither one of them had felt the liking of continuing where they left off, less they wanted to experience an angry and ranting Tessa against their butts.

"Are you sure about this?" Ronald was asking Tessa. "I mean, what's going on?"

"That, my dear," Tessa walked closer and closer to Ronald until their faces were very close to each other. "is a secret. Understand?" Ronald nervously swallowed his saliva and vigorously shook his head up and down when Tessa whispered so close to him.

_Dammit! Why does she has to whisper close to me? Is she trying to intimidate me or is she trying to get back at me after I dropped out from the officer candidate course years ago and join the SRT?_

"And besides." Stepping away from Ronald, Tessa held a triumphant fist up in the air. "This is the day when I'll go forth and defeat Melissa and take on all of her bragging rights on piloting Arm Slaves for life!"

Sousuke began to sweat drop. "I wonder if it's a good idea for us to start backing off now?"

"Judging from her looks," Ronald saw that Tessa's eyes were now sparkling. "I think we won't be able to get away from her for a while at least, mate."

"I think that for once, I agree with you."

Chapter 14 END

PS - As always, more and more kickass action's going on in here! Please read and review as always. I got the chapter name from the novel title of the same name in the FMP novels released by Gatou-sama. ;-)

BTW, the 7.62 x 67 mm's more well known as the .300 Winchester Magnum used on the Walther WA2000. Same name, same banana. Although I have to admit, I liked the way Kurz used it to immobilize the Behemoth's gunports for the GAU-8 Avenger. Although he should've shot all 3-4 of them to totally disable them for good. XD

Oh yeah, I tried my hand in interpreting the voices that Whispered hears, like Kaname did in Episode 12 of the 1st season, so yeah... Nothing much there. In case no one knows what MOLLE means, it stands for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. US Military used them since '97. I thought the FOXHOUND Infantrymen would look better in them anyway. XP

To skip those parts for now, I added Mark Cortez from the MGS Radio Drama to Overwatch. Also got to use the Genome Troopers from the MGS game. Yoji-sama rocked when did the drawing. Check it here at http(double colon)(double slash) .

Next update for the next chapter upload to Overwatch will most likely be in April next month. Not sure about that, but it could be in the middle or near the end of April since finals are comings in a few weeks. Though they're to be done in my place, I'll need some time to concentrate on them and to ace them good so's I don't fail this year since I got transferred to big-time university... But in the meantime, feel free to comment on this latest chapters. I'll take anything you guys will dish at me, except for flames that attack me, the way I do the story or other extreme negatives... Feel free too to start throwing those reviews in as soon as you can after reading this chapter. ;)


	15. Blowback

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, the Indian Ocean Unit in Afghanistan would've listen to Sousuke instead of whining around that he was able to become a Sergeant under the age of 18. Geez! They act like huge babies that need their mommies around. Not to mention that they should've listened to Sousuke about the Codarl model of Gauron's when he almost got rid of the entire unit.

Summary:

As Sousuke and his TDD-1 comrades take a well-deserved rest from the events of the Behemoth and the defeat of A21 in Japan yesterday, Gauron and his unknown backers are moving up their preparations for an unknown operation somewhere in the Democractic Republic of Afghanistan. What is this mysterious operation and how will it later implicate Sousuke and Ronald? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 15: Blowback

Beach, Merida Island

Ronald watched away at the horizon in Merida Island's beach while he listened to Sousuke and Tessa make battle plans for her upcoming Arm Slave paintball match against Melissa later in the afternoon. He was not familiar with the entire island as he had arrived. Earlier on, Ronald planned to use his R&R break to look around the island in order to get acquainted since it was his first time to be on the island base.

_What the hell is achie thinking when she said that either she or Tessa would have to run around the base naked? _Ronald scoffed at Melissa's challenge to Tessa, rubbing his temples with his right thumb and index fingers. _Can't believe that my own cousin would do such a way. It figures that it must've originated from her drinking. God, I wish she'd stop..._

The masked SRT operator was caught up in his thoughts that Ronald failed to notice Sousuke had been using his right index finger to tap on his left shoulder for the past 2 minutes.

"Um? Wha?" Ronald blinked when he felt his shoulder was tapped on, turning around to see Sousuke glaring at him. Tessa had been waiting for Ronald with a smile, as she always had did.

_Damn! I somehow need to ask the higher ups to have Tessa evaluated to see if she's "alright"... _"Sorry..." Ronald chuckled. "Was a bit busy trying to relax that I didn't notice being called?" He saw that there was a map, which showed the entire island with several X marks on it. "Is there something that I should know about?"

"Yes." Tessa pointed to some of the X marks on the Merida Island map. "Sergeant Sagara and I have already talked about the possible areas where I can use them to my advantage when I face Sergeant Major Mao later on." She then faced her masked subordinate. "I was wondering if you have any other kind of ideas in mind?"

"I don't know..." Ronald studied the map of the island. "I'll just leave it to you guys." Ronald snapped his fingers. "Since you can't use the M9E, I was wondering if the base has some M6s in reserve?"

"It seems to be a good idea." Sousuke said, agreeing with Ronald's idea. "Though it'll be slow and cumbersome, it may throw off the Sergeant Major's confidence and let her guard down."

"Well..." Tessa smiled and clapped her hands together. "Why didn't I think of that? Thank you guys..."

"Yeah..." Ronald chuckled. "No problem. I'm glad to suggest an idea to help you win."

* * *

Somewhere in the forests and mountains of North Vancouver in British Colombia, Canada lies a complex hidden by the landscape of the region far away from the rest of the province's urban and rural areas. Though the complex had the resemblance of a military-like bunker of sorts, the rest of it had been camouflaged by the forests and mountains in order to prevent any type of surveillance from finding its location.

It was the perfect location where a black-ops counter-terrorist espionage agency, called the Special Execution Agency, had established their main base of operations for the entire organization. Like MITHRIL, they are only known by world governments, militaries and some terrorist groups and not to the public. The agency had been established during the days of the Cold War as a means of being a neutral buffer between the West and the East and to prevent organizations from trying to forment war between the two blocs. But with MITHRIL's establishment in the 1990s, SEA began to reorganize its structure and personnel in order to further bolster themselves as a neutral fighting force in protecting the interests of the free world from the influences of the West and the East and by groups affiliated with them.

* * *

Conference Room, Special Execution Agency Headquarters, North Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada

**"I'm glad you two made it."** Eve was speaking to Billy and Sheila via videoconferencing from another SEA complex somewhere in Europe. Her way of communicating with SEA's operatives and employees had left an impression on them that Eve is a mysterious woman, hardly seen in any SEA-owned/operated facilities since she conceals her face in black during any visual contact, leaving any hints of identifying her as she had been the agency's intelligence officer.

"Hardly." Billy sighed, reclining on his chair. "Not after what happened in Tokyo. A lot of things were bothering me."

"For instance," Sheila stepped in, asking Eve on certain questions that she had in mind. "What were ENIGMA soldiers doing in Japan? And second, why does a low-key terrorist group have a giant Arm Slave in their possession? I don't think they make sense..." The blonde SEA agent sighed for a minute before she snapped her fingers. "Well for the Arm Slave part anyway..."

Eve replied. **"I'm sure that you two have a lot of things in mind. Which is why I've invited your colleagues to come and attend this debriefing session at once. They'll need to listen on some interesting stuff that the media had broadcasted recently."**

"Hey guys!"

Michael Kwan, SEA's man in charge of the agency R&D division as well as being a part-time SEA operator of Korean-American descent, entered the conference room clad in his white sneaking suit and light green toque. Behind him was Samuel Berkeley, an African Canadian-American SEA agent and a veteran of the organization since he had joined them back in the 1980s. Simply wearing a black sneaking suit, Samuel greeted the two agents already in the conference room before they took their seats.

**"I hope that you two were able to read up on the incident in Tokyo on the giant Arm Slave the other day." **Eve spoke to Michael and Samuel, without hiding a hint of frustration.

"I did." Samuel sighed after he reclined on his chair. "Never in my life have I seen a giant-sized Arm Slave that tall." The video conference monitors played an NHK news report of the Behemoth attacking several of the JGSDF's Type 96 Arm Slaves.

"Me neither." Michael said, watching the NHK news reel. "Whatever that thing is, there's no nations or Arm Slave manufacturer that does this kind of thing."

"Which means a covert organization like us has the only capability to make them, right?" Billy asked the R&D head.

"I'm afraid so." Michael nodded.

**"We were able to analyze data Billy and Sheila had recovered from a Defense Agency research center in Japan." **Michael raised a curious eyebrow when he heard it. **"Apparently they heard a prisoner named Takuma Kugiyama for studies and found out that he had been artificially enhanced to handle Arm Slaves that have the Lambda Driver."**

"Pardon me." Billy raised his voice a bit. "But what's this Lamba Driver?"

"Good thing you raised it." Michael answered the red-haired SEA agent. The Korean-American coughed a bit before he answered Billy's question, "Basically, this Lamba Driver is known as the _false axis repulsive field generator system_." When Michael noticed that Billy, Sheila and Samuel had their full attention to him, "All this does is that it exerts force without any sort of physical interaction on it against all kinds of space. Also, this false axis in the lambda driver refers to the lack of any kind of physical interaction on it."

"If that's the case," Samuel commented on Michael's explanation. "then that would mean an existing violation on most of Newton's laws, especially on Newton's third law if I'm correct there. Especially since it says _To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction_."

"Amazing on what Whispered can come up with." Michael smirked.

**"We won't have anything much to go on since FOXHOUND took the credit for destroying the giant Arm Slave in Tokyo's Chuo district. For now, we'll adjourn the debriefing for the meantime."**

"That's a bunch of crap!" Billy sneered at what Eve had said. "We all know that those MITHRIL guys took it down..."

"Unofficially, of course." Sheila glared at her partner. "I think you probably forgot that like the SEA, MITHRIL's not that known to the public eye."

"Right, right." Billy waved his hand above his head. "Almost forgot about that one..." _Dammit!_

* * *

Conference Room, SAS Headquarters, Hereford, Britain

In the dark conference room, light came from an overhead projector on the room's ceiling that illuminated a projector screen. Seated inside the room were John Clark aka Rainbow Six, Alistair Stanley aka Rainbow Five with Bill Tawney, British RAINBOW intelligence officer and David Peled, an Israeli RAINBOW technical staff officer.

"What you're seeing here..." David showed the projection of the Behemoth rampaging in Chuo moments after the SS George Clinton had been sunk in the Aomi Wharf. "is quite remarkable. Currently, there is no nation or manufacturer that has the capability of producing this Arm Slave as of now."

"When you say quite remarkable, David," John asked the Israeli technical officer. "you mean that there is nothing that can defeat this thing?" _For a minute, I thought he was trying to tell us a joke or two._

"As of now, yes." Bill rushed in to answer his superior to save a bit of David's face in front of the ex-CIA officer. "However..." Bill manipulated the projector to show the Arbalest and the Falke face the Behemoth with their weapons at the ready. "An eyewitness, whose luck was fortunate on our side, was able to record the battle between the two Arm Slaves against the giant one."

"And I take it that these Arm Slaves were able to defeat it for good?" Alistair asked Bill, studying the picture of the Falke, with his Mauser MGK rifle, and the Arbalest, with its Oto Melara Boxer Shot-Cannon, aimed at the Behemoth from a distance.

"Apparently so." David had the projector show the moment where the Arbalest and Falke slid under the Behemoth with their weapons aimed below it, though the view was obstructed by some warehouses. "The witness also told police and Defense Agency representatives that some light came from the two Arm Slaves before the giant Arm Slave was defeated."

"I see." John was interested with what David had to explain on the Arbalest and Falke's victory over the Behemoth. "And was there a name for the red Arm Slave since the media had showed it on TV, newspapers and the internet?"

"Intelligence and technical staff are calling it the Behemoth."

"Is there anything else on the Behemoth so far?"

The projector showed the image of the Behemoth, with its Lambda Driver activated in the form of a heater shield. "Another bystander was able to take this photo. Strangely enough, the image of the red heater shield repelled machine gun and rocket fire from the Type 96 Arm Slaves that the JGSDF had deployed into the vicinity of Aomi Wharf."

"What is that thing?" Alistair was amazed to see the Lamba Driver that had been activated by the Behemoth.

"According from both intelligence and technical sources," David scratched his head a bit. "they're saying that a Lamba Driver was used. It's used in such a way that there would be no need for an Arm Slave pilot to use any sort of physical force for the device to work."

"Meaning a violation of Newton's third law." John surmised his thoughts on David's explanation on the Lamba Driver. "Well this should be quite interesting."

"Only MITHRIL has the capability of fielding advanced Arm Slaves such as the two that defeated the Behemoth in Japan." Bill explained his position. "Intelligence seems to conclude that those two Arm Slaves were fielded by them to eliminate the Behemoth after it got out of hand back in the wharf."

"Looks like they're trying to keep one step ahead of the game." Alistair commented, not showing any hint of amusement.

"I agree with you, Alistair." John sighed, fixing his eyes on the picture that showed bluish light from the Behemoth's shoulders.

_What does MITHRIL do in order to stay one step ahead of us? Though they keep doing this all the time, I'm pretty sure that they'll run into trouble later on..._

* * *

Briefing Room, FOXHOUND Headquarters, Camp San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States of America

Liquid began to debrief FOXHOUND operators who had been involved in the recent joint operation with RAINBOW on the SS George Clinton in Aomi Wharf. Those who attended the debriefing session included Wolf, Mantis, Raven, Viper and Owl.

"Now that we're all here today." Liquid went through the brown folder given to him by Wolf. "Let's start with the meeting. I'm sure you're all aware on the headlines that we made when we got credit for taking down the giant Arm Slave dubbed as the Behemoth."

"Sure nice of the news to give us that credit." sneered Owl. "When all along, those MITHRIL guys were the ones who did it..."

"I understand how you feel, Owl." Liquid glared at the ex-serial killer. "But you may known that MITHRIL's not exactly in favor of revealing themselves."

"So what about the Behemoth?"

Everyone inside the briefing stared at the entrance to see Cortez enter the briefing room and took an empty seat next to Raven.

"I'm not quite sure how to say it, Cortez." Liquid replied to FOXHOUND's tactical operations chief officer. "According to analysis from our R&D department, there were some kind of strange drivers implemented on the Behemoth. Said that it was a Lamba Driver."

"The machine that would greatly counter the Newton Laws." Mantis spoke up. Liquid glared at the gas mask-wearing psychic operator. _Must've probed my mind as usual. _

"That would be the case." Liquid continued to debrief his fellow FOXHOUND comrades. "However we still don't know who was the main benefactor that provided the Behemoth to such an almost unknown terrorist group such as A21."

"No nation with Arm Slave manufacturing capabilities could create that kind of Arm Slave." Wolf surmised her thoughts on the entire operation. "How much would it cost anyway to create one of those things..."

"Your guess is as good as mine, Wolf." Viper nodded, leaning back on his chair. "But I'm sure we'll be able to figure that out in the long run." The booby trap expert stared at his superior officer. "Ain't that right, boss man?"

_You wish! _Liquid stared at the papers inside the folder before he closed it.

"I surely hope so."

* * *

Armory, Merida Island

"Ah..." A Merida Island armorer with Caucasian features and brown hair greeted Ronald, who entered the base's armory office. He had locked up an assault rifle locker that contained several makes and models including several Colt M16 rifles, Steyr AUGs, Heckler and Koch G36s, IZHMASH AK-74s and FN FNCs. "Good day to you, my friend. So you must be the new guy around here."

"That'd be me." Ronald greeted the armorer. "I just need to pick up some stuff."

"So what do you plan to do, my good man?" The armorer handed an assault rifle bag and placed it on the wooden reception table.

"Nothing much." Ronald shrugged his shoulders, affixing his signature on the clipboard handed to him. "Need to get some frustration loose."

"That's fine, I guess." The armorer sighed. "Everyone needs to do so once in a while..."

"Are the sidearms here too?"

"Yep. The bag had some nifty holsters in it too, probably customized."

"All right." Ronald took the rifle bag and slinged it on his right shoulder. "Thanks a lot..."

* * *

Kalinin's Room, Medical Center, Merida Island

Ronald passed by the medical center, being told by a nurse when he was near the area to come see Commander Kalinin and Mardukas on the double.

"Excuse me..." Ronald knocked on the door leading to Kalinin's room.

"Enter." came the reply from Mardukas.

"Commander Kalinin." After entering the room, Ronald gave a prompt salute. "Commander Mardukas."

"At ease, Staff Sergeant Chua." Mardukas said, still seated next to the recuperating Soviet MITHRIL officer. "Do you know where Captain Testarossa is as of this hour?"

"Training, sir." Ronald replied, standing at full attention.

Mardukas raised his left eyebrow and fixed his HMS Turbulent (S87) ballcap. "Training? At this time?"

"Yes, sir." Ronald said, not bothered by the confusion set in Mardukas' face. "Apparently, she's trying on an M9E right now as we speak."

Mardukas sighed. _That girl... Someone must have pissed her off today._

"Sir, am I allowed to leave? I need to head off to do some firearms training and all..."

The British MITHRIL officer shooed him away.

* * *

Twin Rock Formation, Beach, Merida Island

"Hey, Sousuke?"

"What is it, Kurz?"

The two SRT operative sat down near the twin rock formation, watching Tessa in the M6 engage Melissa in the M9E.

"Who do you think..." Kurz yawned before he continued with the rest of his question. "is gonna win?"

"I'm not sure actually." Sousuke then went to analyze the situation. "Sgt. Maj. Mao can easily win the situation here since she's using an M9E. She happens to be very proficient like most of us are in the SRT, so she can beat her with just the Arm Slave's fast reflexes. But on the other hand, Captain Testarossa is known to have good strategies in outwitting her opponent in battle. I'm sure she can figure out a way to defeat Sgt. Maj. Mao and get this over with."

Kurz decided not to reply and instead, watch the ongoing Arm Slave paintball match. "I wish both of them would lose so that I can see them naked..."

Sousuke eyed his SRT comrade before he too concentrated on watching the battle at hand. _I wonder if that's all he has besides picking up women and using firearms, especially sniper rifles?_

* * *

Corridor, Merida Island

"Thought I'd find you two here."

Nora spotted Ronald and Shinji, carrying assault rifle bags on their hands.

"Hello." Ronald greeted before he whispered to Shinji, "Mate. Say something..."

"Uh..." Shinji was a bit nervous in greeting himself. "Hi there."

"So where are you two going as of this time?" The blonde woman asked. "Captain Testarossa did say that we're all free to take some R&R from what happened last night."

"Some training." Shinji answered. "Since most of the staff and the guys from TDD-1 are heading to do R&R in the base, I suggested to him that we do some firearms training. Never hurts to be prepared after all."

"I see." Nora felt no need to hinder the two masked SRT operator from what they plan to do now. "I suppose I can't stop you, so you two better get some exercise going."

"Yes, ma'am." Both Ronald and Shinji went on their way with their bags in tow, but the former felt something grab on his arm.

"Careful there, 'kay?" Ronald was a bit nervous when Nora was the one who grabbed onto his arm. "I'm a bit worried about you since you were transferred to the TDD-1's SRT."

Without a word, Nora left Ronald alone to ponder on his thoughts.

* * *

Defense Minister's Office, Afghan Ministry of Defense, Kabul, Afghanistan

"So..." The Defense Minister spoke to his guest, who had black hair, in his early 20s and a scar below his left eye. "Mister..."

"Just call me Zaied." Zaied introduced himself. "Just Zaied, Minister Hamid Khan."

"Of course, Mr. Zaied." Zaied felt pissed when Hamid added the honorific on his name. "So I'm right, you're the one who's representing a Mr. Gauron."

"That's right." The ex-guerrilla fighter nodded, momentarily fixing his brown trenchcoat and brown pants. "I'm here on his behalf, though I also represent my _boss_."

"I see." Hamid passed him pictures of what appears to be a Soviet RSD-10 Pioneer medium-range ballistic missile placed on a Minsk МАЗ-7906 artillery truck.

"So this is the one that I heard of." Zaied mumbled, eyeing the nuclear-capable ballistic missile.

"My leaders are requesting for the safe removal of this..." Hamid eyed the photo of the RSD-10 with great hatred. "monstrosity out of our land."

Zaied chuckled at the minister's statement. "And here I thought that since Afghanistan's currently a Soviet satellite, it wouldn't object to having their big brother place their lovely soil anywhere in Afghan soil."

"That is true." Hamid sighed and leaned on his chair. "The truth is, we've got our problems with the mujaheddin in the countryside. If they would get their hands on this kind of missile, it'll greatly jeopardize Afghanistan's national security."

"And since you couldn't ask your big brother, the Soviets, for fear of being exposed by local and international media."

"All that my president's asking is for you and your companion to transport this missile out of our country." Hamid pleaded with Zaied. "The likes of you should be able to handle sort of thing. My country has become anti-nuclear ever since Zanzibar threatened the world with their stolen nukes a few years ago back in 1999."

"Of course." Zaied sighed. "And I think my boss said that the fee for this job is not too much, considering the economic status of Afghanistan despite steady flows of economic aid from the Warsaw Pact."

"Thank goodness." Hamid said in relief. "Just the thing we need for the upcoming National Assembly conference."

"I'm not here to worry about whether the National Assembly or the Loya Jirga is going to use the economic aid or for military spending, only to do my job." Zaied stood up from his seat. "If you would excuse me, I'll be taking my leave right now."

"But..." Hamid stood up from his chair, wanting to ask his guest something.

"Don't worry." Zaied turned his head to face the Minister. "My companion will be in touch with you and perhaps the Afghan military by tomorrow."

* * *

Abandoned Streets, Unknown Area

Donned in his black balaclava and Zanzibar Land Guards red beret with his MITHRIL SRT uniform, Ronald had worn a black custom tactical vest, a tactical leg holster strapped on his left leg and his communications headset worn above his balaclava and below his beret. He had been busy dashing on the abandoned streets of a Middle Eastern-like nation filled with burnt out and wrecked civilian and military vehicles and gutted buildings.

_Damn area's abandoned! Full of vehicles and buildings, but they're all messed up..._

Primarily armed with a H&R T223 assault rifle, Ronald scanned his area of responsibility to check for signs of enemies in the deserted streets.

_It's too quiet. Better check with him since he's doing overwatch anyways to be on the safe side. _Ronald keyed on the radio on his comm headset and patched it on a certain frequency. **"Uruz 11 to Uruz 13. Uruz 11 to 13, come in please."**

**"Uruz 13 here. I've got your back from the rooftops here." **Ronald turned around to see Shinji wave at Ronald from the rooftop of a gutted shop. Like him, he had his black balaclava and Zanzibar Land Guards beret. Shinji also had his comm headset worn below his beret.

**"Right, Shinji." **Ronald sighed, still checking his surroundings. **"Though I'd wished that you'd be a bit more careful. Too much exposure is not good for you since you can get hit."**

**"Bah! Nobody can hit at this distance, you know!"**

**"Whatever!"**

The conversation between the two ended when several armed men emerged from the gutted and deserted buildings. Most of them either wore the distinct Iraqi Republican Guard Desert or Woodland camouflage uniforms with various AKs of different makes.

"Crap!" muttered Ronald, who immediately went for cover by crouching behind the engine block of a 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser that had been totaled in the front with a 1990 Nissan Patrol crashed into it. **"Yo! I got OPFORS in the area. Cover me!"**

* * *

Rooftop, Abandoned shop, Unknown Area

**"Understood. Proceeding to eliminate the targets!"**

Panning for enemies via mounted Trijicon TR22R riflescope on the receiver of his TCI M89SR, Shinji counted several tangos converging on Ronald's location. _Damn! A lot of them! Scenario reminds me of the days back in Zanzibar... _He was merely half a block away from Ronald's position.

Focusing the TR22R's sights on one of the approaching OPFORS with an IZHMASH AK-47S, Shinji held his bullpup semi-auto sniper rifle and fired the rifle when he had targeted the man's chest. _Got one!_

A shot rang out in the open area when his intended target went down on the ground.

* * *

Lounge, Merida Island

"There you are, Tessa." Kurz greeted Tessa outside the lounge, minutes after Melissa and Tessa had reached a truce on their Arm Slave paintball match. Unfortunately, Kurz got severely kicked in the face by the two women after the truce. Melissa had been in the lounge after she got out of her Arm Slave pilot suit to do some R&R.

"Hello, Mr. Weber." Tessa greeted her subordinate. _Oh dear! I probably must've kicked you too softly... _Tessa grinned to herself, noticing Kurz had bandage over his face with a swollen left eye though it was not that serious.

"Glad you can join us." Kurz _politely _showed Tessa inside. "Most of the guy's have decided to watch some live-action performance."

"Oh?" Tessa was confused on what Kurz was talking about. "On what kind, Mr. Weber?"

"The two new guys who're in the urban warfare training center created two months ago." Kurz showed Tessa a widescreen television mounted on the far end of the lounge a few meters away from the lounge's entrance. "We're just watching them go through the Middle East-like area."

"Are they going to tear down the entire area then?"

"Yeah." Kurz nodded. "Heard they're going to change it, not sure on what kind of scenery."

* * *

Abandoned Streets, Urban Warfare Training Center

"Dammit!" Frustrated by being pinned down behind the engine blocks of the Land Cruiser and Patrol, Ronald raised his T223 assault rifle and fired it wildly after setting the weapon on full auto and moving his hands left to right and vice versa to ensure that the _enemies _were either shot or pinned down by the gunfire.

**"Doing a good job, Ronnie! You got yourself two kills by luck..." **Shinji chuckled on Ronald's radio.

**"Whatever." **Ronald crouched back behind the Land Cruiser's engine block. **"Doing a mag change. Cover me, will ya?"**

* * *

Rooftop, Abandoned shop, Urban Warfare Training Center

**"Hai, hai! Proceeding to target the enemy!"**

Shinji fired shot after shot from his M89SR at any visible AK-armed tango in the deserted streets, hitting them in the chest. _I did want to use live 7.62 NATO ammo for the exercise, but didn't want to since Merida uses OPFORS as policy. Dammit! _

**"Hey, you alright down there? So far, they're either starting to retreat or they're dead for good..."**

* * *

Abandoned Streets, Urban Warfare Training Center

_Hmph. _

Glancing to his right, Ronald swore that he saw a shadow moving to his right. But when he aimed at the area with his T223, he found out that the area had no sign of enemies.

_Crap! Behind me!_

Until he had someone step on what sounded to be shards of broken glass. When he turned around, Ronald saw a figure aiming his IZHMASH AK-74 right at him.

_Not good! _Ronald pushed the heels of his boots down on the ground firmly, which helped him fall backward. Dropping his T223, Ronald's left hand reached for his Glock 34 pistol while his right hand reached out for his Manurhin MR73 Gendarmerie revolver from his vest.

"Take this!" Aiming his sidearms at his target, Ronald fired both of them simultaneously at the armed man's chest. Feeling the force from his back after he was on the gray asphalt with his legs first, Ronald saw that his target was down.

* * *

Lounge, Merida Island

"OOHHH!"

Everyone inside the lounge was amazed after seeing Ronald gun down his target after the OPFOR soldier tried to sneak up on him from behind.

"Did you guys see that?"

"Heck, yeah I did."

"Reminds of one of my old action movies that I've seen back in college."

"Looks like he pulled off a stunt straight from the Ghost in the Shell series."

"Never saw that coming, did you?"

"Nah, not me pal. Not me."

Kurz grinned, while Melissa was amazed to see Ronald's moves when he fired his pistol and revolver in unison.

"Whoa." Melissa mouthed, in shock and awe over the newly transferred SRT operator's actions.

"Isn't it amazing, Tessa?" Kurz asked his superior. "Just watching him do that brings back the good old days when I fought in Zanzibar."

Tessa was a bit insecure when she saw what happened.

_Goodness! Just what happened to you back there? Were you really like that back in Zanzibar Land, Ronald?_

* * *

Abandoned Streets, Urban Warfare Training Center

**"Hey, the other targets are retreating..." **Hearing Shinji's report, Ronald stood up and collected his sidearms back on their respective holsters before he picked up his dropped T223. Stepping away from the totalled SUVs, Ronald saw that the enemy forces had really retreated or were still retreating away from him.

**"Yeah, I know." **Ronald crouched next to the Patrol's rear. **"But regardless, we need to get the target. It's only a block away from here."**

**"Understood. But it all could be a trap."**

**"Regardless of the situation, we still need to be careful. Just get your butt down here! I'll cover your route."**

**"Roger that." **Ronald eyed Shinji who had slinged his M89SR and rappelled down from the abandoned shop's roof before he hit the ground.

* * *

Somewhere in Queenstown, Singapore

**"So Zaied, I trust the preparations in Afghanistan are already complete." **Gauron spoke to Zaied on another Nokia cellular phone after he had trashed his previous one as a precaution. The terrorist/mercenary already knew the Internal Security Department, Singapore's internal intelligence service, was one of Southeast Asia's best internal security services as it had a record of apprehending individuals who had either tried to perpetrate terrorist activities or had used Singapore as a base to conduct terrorist-based logistics.

**"I see." **Gauron walked passed a Singapore Police Force foot patrol consisting of two constables, armed with Smith and Wesson-made revolvers. **"Well, let me know when the stuff's going to be ready. I'm still in my R&R vacation that Mr. Gold was so kind of consider for me, but I'll be moving to Malaysia tomorrow by air just as a precaution."**

After Gauron passed the SPF patrol, he spoke again to Zaied in his phone. **"Are the two AS units prepared? That's good. Red Fox's coming with me to Malaysia before we book a flight to Pakistan. I'm not sure if them Singaporean intelligence agents are already on my back. Yeah, yeah. Okay. Thanks, Zaied. I'll be in touch."**

Keeping his cell phone on his business suit coat pocket, Gauron stared at the people minding their own business while enjoying the Singaporean atmosphere.

_Enjoy being carefree for all you can, 'cause you all will regret it soon. Just one day, wait 'till all of you will feel the wrath of Amalgam._

* * *

Locker Room, Urban Warfare Training Center

"Can't believe that was our objective all along." Shinji sat down on a bench while their weapons were being serviced with the removal of blank-firing adaptors from their weapons.

"Yeah." Ronald moaned after he took his seat on the bench next to Shinji. "All we ever got was a dang laptop with a message that says _Welcome to Merida Island_. Sheesh! If that was any other way to welcome us..."

"That's the welcoming committee for you, Ronald. Maybe a shirt would have been better." He patted his friend's left shoulder. "Come on. Since no one's else besides the OPFOR guys who're about to be done in a few more minutes, we can get our stuff ready."

"Yeah." Ronald nodded at Shinji. "Yeah, we better change. I smell like stink. He he."

* * *

Corridor, Merida Island

"So what's next?" Ronald asked Shinji, walking down a corridor somewhere in the Merida Island base. "I means, summer's up and coming in the next few weeks."

Shinji stretched his arms. "I'm going to see my uncle in the JGSDF Narashino base. I haven't seen him for a few months now."

"Wasn't he the one who took you in after we left Zanzibar due to your parents being dead?"

"The very same." Shinji tried to stifle a yawn, but failed as he felt a bit tired. "I plan to bring Sousuke there since he wants to go somewhere to a place like that."

"You're right about that." His companion laughed a bit. "It's always good to allow someone to see something from a different perspective."

"I'm going to hit the sack." Shinji stared at the digital clock mounted on the wall on the left wall. "It's already 8."

"Without eating?" Ronald raised an eyebrow. "That's not like you."

"Yeah you're right about that."

* * *

Bar, Bar Darza, Merida Island

Kurz and Sousuke were seated in the bar portion of the Bar Darza, a seemingly normal restaurant built on the island for its personnel to either relax, grab a bit to eat or get a beer to drink. The two, however, were seated in an allocated portion meant for those who were given the SRT designation.

"Hey, Kurz." The scarred mercenary scratched his cheek. "I've got a feeling that we've met our masked comrades from somewhere before."

"No kidding." Kurz's left hand was on the beer glass' handle, ready to drink its contents. "I felt the same thing ever since those guys were in the TDD-1."

"But the good thing there is that they're allies. Not the enemy. So we should have some relief on that for now..."

"Hmmm..." The German mercenary took a sip of his warm beer before he replaced the mug down on the bar table. "The question is who those guys are?"

Kurz's question left Sousuke thinking for a few minutes before Kurz chuckled at his friend's attempt to figure out his question and answer it.

"Well, it's not like we have to figure out who they are, right?" Kurz laughed before he raised his mug. "Let's forget all that for a while and relax for a bit. We all need to rest, you know?"

Sousuke smiled, "I guess I can agree with you there."

* * *

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"Commander Mardukas." Tessa had summoned her British XO in her office a day after the fiasco that she had with Melissa. "Did Sergeant Sagara leave for Tokyo a while ago?"

"Yes, madam captain." Mardukas replied, standing in front of her desk. "As of 0900 hours, Sergeant Sagara had boarded a Bombardier Learjet 45 learjet used to bring him back to Tokyo. I believe that he'll be landing in New Tokyo International within an hour or so."

"And one more thing," Tessa slipped into her thoughts before she asked Mardukas another question. "I haven't seen Uruz 11 since a while ago. I was told that he needed a day off to leave. Do you happen to know where he would be?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that, madam captain." When he saw Tessa staring at him, he proceeded to answer his superior. "But I remember hearing that he needed to go alone on a trip to Zanzibar. I believe he left with a Cessna Citation CJ2 jet."

"Zanzibar?" Tessa sighed heavily. "Isn't that the country that had most of the world's nuclear stockpile before they surrendered the stockpile to IAEA nuclear inspectors with help from the UN a year or so ago, Commander Mardukas?"

"Yes, that's right." Mardukas replied to Tessa. "Still, I'm not quite sure on what he plans to do there for a day before he returns back to Merida Island, madam captain."

"I'm not sure on what he plans to do there too." Tessa thought about Ronald's leave of absence. "But I hope he'll be doing all right there in Zanzibar."

* * *

Heroes Square, Zanzibar City, Zanzibar

Ronald, now wearing a brown bomber jacket and blue jeans, stood before the monument in Heroes Square that symbolized for civilians who had been killed by Soviet troops stationed in the former Soviet satellite when protesters in the 1990s had demanded democratic reforms in the last remaining satellite which had Islam as its main religion.

"It's been a long time since I stayed in Zanzibar in the 1990s..." Ronald observed a small and simple ceremony of the square's changing of the guard with the Heroes Square honor guard unit, dressed with formal Soviet-style honor guard uniform and armed with Springfield M14 rifles, performing goose-steps as they changed the guard stationed at the central monument in the square. "Nothing much has changed, aside from a pro-West government still standing despite nearly having communist nations surrounding it from most of its borders."

With a bouquet of flowers at hand, Ronald slowly approached the monument after the replacement guard had been at their posts. He saw the new guard standing at both sides of the monuments with their M14s held at the port arms position.

_It's a long flight, but it's sure worth the trip to come here. _He then knelt down before the monument and placed the bouquet in front of them before he stood firmly. Gazing at the monument, which depicted several figures waving a flag at the face of Soviet troops armed with AK-47s, Ronald smiled and gave the monument a two-finger salute before he left the square.

The inscription at the monument had been written in Russian, Dari, Pashto and English. It read the following on the plaque:

"On May 6, 1995, unarmed civilians confronted Soviet soldiers near the Zanzibar Communist Party Headquarters. They had demanded greater democratic reforms for the former Zanzibarian Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic after a student from the Zanzibar National University had been arrested for writing pro-democracy graffiti. The students were then killed by Soviet forces on orders from the head of the ZCP before riots took place throughout the country."

"On May 6, 1998, the remains of the students killed in the pro-democracy protests were interned in the Heroes Square monument. President Mahmud Aliyed honored them in a small ceremony as the main heroes of Zanzibarian independence."

* * *

Corridor, Merida Island

Ronald, now back in Merida Island a day after taking a MITHRIL-planned flight from Zanzibar to Merida Island, had been approached by a black-haired man wearing the olive green uniform of male enlisted personnel with sunglasses on. Standing with Shinji, who had also been back from his trip to the JGSDF Narashino base. Both of them, as always, were donned with their black balaclavas and Zanzibar Land Guards berets.

"Excuse me, Uruz 11." Ronald faced the man. "But I need you to proceed to captain Testarossa's office."

"Only me?" asked Ronald. "Not Uruz 13?" _Damn guy reminds of Char!_

"He won't be needed for this debriefing, I'm afraid." The man replied.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You'll see afterwards when you attend the debriefing with captain Testarossa."

* * *

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"I'm glad you're here." Tessa welcomed Ronald after he saluted prior to entering her office. Sousuke had already been inside, in a parade rest position. Ronald stood next to Sousuke and did so likewise.

Ronald studied the man standing next to Tessa. _That guy doesn't seem to be with the base? Who is he?_

"This man happens to be an envoy sent back by the Indian Ocean Unit." Tessa explained to her subordinates on the unknown man standing next to her chair.

"Greetings to you two." The man began before he introduced himself. "I'm Captain Michael Flint with MITHRIL intelligence."

Ronald felt a bit uncomfortable after hearing that the man had been from Indian Ocean intelligence. "I see. I thought you looked a bit familiar." _If I'm right, I heard he's Canadian with the Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch._

"Same here." Michael echoed his reply.

Sousuke didn't give any reply of sorts.

"Look at the screens behind you, if you will."

"Right." Ronald and Sousuke turned around to see an arms market in Afghanistan. With a very familiar face.

"Bastard..." Ronald gritted his teeth, thankfully not showing it as he had his balaclava on. "It's him."

"Yeah." Sousuke replied. "I share the same thing."

"I suppose you two know that man very well." Michael said calmly. "One of our units with the Indian Ocean Fleet will carry out an assassination mission on Gauron."

"An actual assassination mission?" Ronald asked Michael.

"Yes." Michael nodded. "Indian Ocean Fleet command picked you two for three reasons."

Sousuke stared at the intelligence officer carefully. _This I got to hear._

"First, the both of you had already fought with him. Second, Indian Ocean Fleet command has deemed it necessary for the Arbalest and Uruz 11's Falke to kill the target. Third, you two are familiar with the terrain and layout of Afghanistan." Michael turned his gaze towards Ronald. "Though I believe that you were there when you were a part of Zanzibar Land's foreign legion corps."

"That's right, captain." Ronald replied.

"Remember that they made your involvement is mandatory." Michael had made his statement clear as crystal. "No objections."

"I don't have any objections, captain Flint." Sousuke replied, though Tessa could see the rage in his eyes.

"Same here, captain. I don't object to leaving this mission."

"That's the spirit." Michael had a grin on his face after hearing Sousuke and Ronald speak up of their willingness to participate. "Prepare to depart for our Salomon Islands base at 1400 hours. That is all."

"Sir!" Ronald and Sousuke saluted Michael as he excused himself from Tessa's office.

"You two are dismissed." Tessa said to her subordinates, seeing no further need to keep them in her office any further.

"Understood, ma'am." Sousuke replied. He was the first one to exit the office before Ronald followed him.

* * *

Outside Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"I'll go and see Commander Kalinin." Sousuke said, excusing himself after the two stepped out of Tessa's office.

"Please." Ronald didn't object to what Sousuke had planned to do. "I'll go and prepare my weapons."

"Wait, Mr. Sagara." Tessa exited her office, seeing Ronald head to the direction of the Armory.

"He'll be fine." Sousuke spoke to his superior. "But I plan to see Commander Kalinin first."

* * *

Kalinin's Room, Medical Center, Merida Island

"So it seems you're going to Afghanistan." Kalinin said, lying down in his bed as his injuries had not been fully healed.

"Yes, sir. With Uruz 11."

"It appears that you didn't object to leaving the mission after all."

"I wouldn't sir. And I would've volunteered as well..."

"I see." Kalinin sighed. "Don't get too hot under the collar."

"Understood, sir."

"Well, I guess that the fact he's still alive doesn't help us either. So be careful out there, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir." Sousuke saluted and with that, left the room.

"Don't worry about him, captain." Kalinin consoled his commanding officer. "I'm sure those two will be fine."

"I just can't shake the feeling," Tessa told Kalinin of her own problems regarding the upcoming mission. "the feeling that something's about to happen to those two."

"It's Sergeant Sagara's home ground, so he shouldn't have a problem when he gets to Afghanistan." Kalinin insisted. "And if I'm right, Uruz 11 used to participate on several missions when he was part of Zanzibar Land's foreign legion corps before and after its independence war."

Tessa only fidgeted in her seat, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly.

Kalinin stared at the open doorway of his room.

_Good luck, Sergeant Sagara. Whatever you do, don't let the past dictate to you what you're about to do in your mission with the Indian Ocean Fleet._

* * *

Armory, Merida Island

"So you're on a mission with them Indian Ocean guys?"

"Yeah." Ronald was allowed access to the armory to gather his weapons after he told the armorer that he needed to get in as to get them ready. "Thanks a lot for considering, Gary. I'll need some time to get my weapons ready for the mission."

"No problem." Gary chuckled. "Didn't you use to do part time armorer stuff prior to joining up with our fleet?"

"Yep. I did most of my work with the Mediterranean Sea Fleet, though I did have some part-time armorer duties with the Indian Ocean Fleet."

"Okay." Gary then left went towards the armory's sliding door. "You'll be here right? Well, I need to grab some chow since my stomach's calling for a coup. So I guess I can leave you here since you're right with how we do things here in the MITHRIL amories."

"Gotcha."

Ronald concentrated on securing the weapons needed for the Afghanistan mission when he eyed a section of the firearms locker that had his name on it.

_Alright. Time to see what stuff can I grab for the mission._

Unlocking it with a locker key given to him by Gary, Ronald took a Heckler and Koch HK93A3 assault rifle and five 30-round magazines. Afterwards, he grabbed his Glock 34 pistol with four 17-round magazines and his Manurhin MR73 Gendarmerie revolver with four .357 magnum speedloaders.

_Even though I like the full automatic HK33, sometimes having a semi-automatic assault rifle doesn't hurt in the end if conserving ammo is needed for the Afghanistan mission._

"It seems you're quite excited to get into action."

Ronald saw that Sousuke had entered the armory, despite being busy getting his weapons ready.

"Whatever." Ronald held his HK93A3 vertically and roughly slapped its cocking handle to ensure that it was working. "Alright, good."

"You seem to be up for this mission." Sousuke went to his firearms locker and grabbed a Colt M4A1 assault rifle with four 30-round magazines.

"I just really want to take down Gauron as much as you do." Ronald loaded a single 30-round magazine into his HK93A3 before he checked the chamber of his MR73 Gendarmerie. "I have some history with that guy as much as you do."

"Oh?" Sousuke was surprised. _That's interesting. He has a history with Gauron besides me? While I like to pump more information from him, I don't think now's the right time._

"I do, really." Sousuke pulled the M4A1's cocking handle to see if it was working. "It does have something to do with me being orphaned."

"I see."

"Never mind that. Important thing is that we gotta get ready."

* * *

Aircraft/Arm Slave Hangar, Merida Island

Sousuke and Ronald were now in the lobby, walking towards one of their Lockheed Martin C-130H transport planes which would take them to the Indian Ocean Fleet's base in the Salomon Islands. Sousuke had his duffel bag with him and carried his assault rifle bag. Ronald, on the other hand, merely had a black backpack with him. He too also had his assault rifle bag with him, carried by his left hand.

"Looks like they replaced our C-130Hs with the new turbofan engines." Sousuke studied the turbofan engines mounted underneath the C-130H's wings.

_All thanks to the brilliant minds of the Whispered. _"Right you are. Our Arm Slaves should be in there too with their parachutes mounted on them too."

"We better go..." Sousuke said, urging Ronald to come along with him to go to the C-130H when they someone shouted...

"WAIT!"

"Captain!" Sousuke saw Tessa frantically running towards them.

"What now?" Ronald sighed. "I don't wanna be late for this mission."

"Please go ahead, Sergeant Sagara." Tessa said after catching her breath. "There's something I have to tell him. It's urgent."

"All right." Sousuke nodded. _I wonder what captain Testarossa needs to tell him about?_

"See you inside." With Sousuke now inside the C-130H, Tessa took the time to speak with Ronald.

"Tessa," Ronald sighed. "now's not the time to interrupt me..."

"I know." Tessa replied, feeling a bit nervous. "Really, I do. It's just that..."

"Go on..."

"I just want you to know that I'll be waiting for you when you get back." Tessa gripped the fingers of his right hand.

"You sound like a bit worried." _Why is she doing this? If anyone finds us here and thinks we're in a relationship, I won't be in trouble with Kalinin and Mardukas, but with Admiral Borda himself. Okay! Don't panic! Just stay calm and everything will be fine. Just put up with it for now, Ronnie boy!_

Tessa didn't say anything else, except to hold onto his fingers a bit longer. She was lucky that most of the crew in the hangar were a bit busy to notice what their commanding officer was doing right now.

Ronald smiled at Tessa. "Thanks for your concern, madam captain." He gave her the two-finger salute. "Don't you worry. I'll get back here safe and sound."

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules

"So what did Captain Testarossa talk to you about?" Sousuke asked Ronald the moment he got into his seat and fastened the buckles on his lap and chest.

"Nothing much." Ronald shrugged his shoulders.

"I see."

"We should be leaving now. Can't wait to catch some time to sleep."

* * *

Runway, Merida Island

After their C-130H had taxied on the camouflaged runway, its pilots were given permission to take off from the runway. Within minutes after receiving permission, the C-130H began to accelerate on the runway before it gathered enough speed for the cargo plane to take off from the runway towards its destination.

Towards the Indian Ocean.

* * *

Airfield, Salomon Islands Base, Salomon Islands, Chagos Archipelago, British Indian Ocean Territory

A day had passed after the C-130H had been dispatched from the Western Pacific Fleet's Merida Island to the Indian Ocean Fleet's Salomon Islands base. It was only fortunate that it was on the Chagos Archipelago's northern portion, which allowed MITHRIL to establish a base in the Salomon Islands as there were less Chagossians due to American and British policy, calling on for their expulsion for the purpose of establishing a military base on Diego Garcia.

"Well it's about time..." A MITHRIL Indian Ocean Fleet SRT operator with the rank of Corporal spoke with a Texan accent. "All this waiting sure made me damn impatient..." The blonde man adjusted his ten-gallon hat to block the sunlight from making contact with his face.

"Cool your jets, Andy." An African-American with the rank of 1stt Lieutenant spoke to his subordinate. "Whining isn't going to help any of us here."

"Bill's right, Andy." A woman with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant spoke up in Bill's favor with an unknown European accent that places her of Eastern European descent. "It's not like you're the only one who's impatient waiting for help from Western Pacific." She sighed and ran her hand on her white hair.

"Gray's got a point there."

"Makes people like me tired so easily. Ha ha." Standing next to Gray was a man in his late 40s with semi-gray hair. He had the rank of Sergeant.

Another African-American man with black dreadlocks moaned and stretched his two feet, grabbing the duffel bag next to him. "Looks like our ride's here. But aren't they gonna load up our M9s on them, Batist?"

"Yep." Batist checked his wristwatch. "Should only take a few minutes Jackson, so we still relax for a bit before we get into the C-130H and prepare for our little operation."

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules

"Now they're loading up the other M9 Arm Slaves in here and almost getting it done with, I wonder which unit owns them?" Ronald and Sousuke took the time to unwind after their long flight from Merida had ended in the Indian Ocean Fleet's Salomon Islands base when the two went to the nearest toilet to relieve themselves._ I'm so tired! How many hours has it been since we left Merida Island?_

"Did you serve under the Indian Ocean Fleet before?" Sousuke asked his masked companion.

"That I did." Ronald nodded, arms crossed around his chest. "But it didn't last for long. I eventually requested for a transfer to the Mediterranean Sea Fleet back in 2000."

Suddenly, he heard voices that were getting louder and louder by the minute. _Wait a second? Those voices sound familiar? Are those guys from my old unit?_

"Something the matter?" Ronald eyed Sousuke, who simply stared at the interior of the C-130H in front of him. "You seem like a bit nervous."

"Between you and me, Sousuke." The masked SRT operator spoke up to his fellow SRT comrade. "I think those voices that I heard from outside the plane are really, really familiar."

"So it must've been pretty bad."

"That's not even how I would summarize it. It's even worse than bad."

"Mind if I asked what kind of things that you ran into during your time with the Indian Ocean Fleet?"

"Wait..." whispered Ronald. He was able to deduce the loudest voice from an unknown group that were already on board the C-130H.

"And I found out that my bet increased from 100 to a 1,000 in an instant, Batist. Man, did I ever..." Jackson stopped from speaking with Batist when he saw Ronald and Sousuke seated inside the plane. "Oh...my...god!"

"What is it, Jackson?" Bill rushed into the cargo section of the C-130H to see a _familiar _face. "It's...it's him!"

Ronald sighed. _Dammit! _"Nice to see you guys...again."

"Man!" Andy whined when he saw who their _help _was. "It's really him! The mysterious Arm Slave pilot with another kid his age." The blonde man stared at the chevrons on Sousuke's uniform before he muttered. "This kid's a Sergeant."

"A Sergeant?" Batist was shocked to hear Sousuke's rank. "So what's this anyway? The top brass recruiting people like them nowadays?"

Sousuke whispered to Ronald. "So these are the guys that you spoke of?"

"Yeah." Ronald replied. "They're the ones alright."

"Now just a darn minute!" Andy shouted. "These guys can't be our dang reinforcements to kill off that dang terrorist in Afghanistan! They're gotta be some kinda mistake here!"

"I'm afraid there happens to be none, Mr. Cowboy." Ronald calmly answered Andy's _concerns_. "Of course, you can get off the aircraft and forget we were here." He then glared at him, under the cover of his balaclava and showed Ronald's raging eyes. "Unlike you guys, our participation is mandatory. And believe me, we don't have any problems objecting to this special mission we're about to conduct."

Jackson gritted his teeth. _Cheeky bastard! Just you wait, Ronald. I'll show you!_

"Fellas..." Bill intervened to stop the arguments between Ronald and the rest of his unit. "There's no time for this! The time we spend for arguing could be better spent if we all gear up and prepare for our little operation in Afghanistan." He then glared at his subordinates, especially Andy and Jackson. "Is that clear?"

"Sir!" Andy and Jackson replied to Bill in unison.

Sousuke sighed. _I'm glad that part's over for now._

Chapter 15 END

PS - Lately, I've watched Darker than BLACK and I've already finished watching it. Good one with some music by Yoko Kanno since I dig her music from the GITS series. HAPPY DAY, OH HAPPY DAY INDEED! I just might venture there after this story's over. The ending was a bit bummer and whatnot, but the OVA didn't turn the ending as the way most DTB viewers had wanted too. Otherwise, there's the reason why fanfiction existed in the first place. So yeah, any of you guys have seen DTB? I do want to dabble on it. But in the light of Code Geass R2, I guess doing a CG story takes precedent soon after I do some oneshots again. But I'm not going to rush this story in order to do the other stories that I've planned up. That's not my style.

Episode title's taken from the Border, last episode that was shown on Canadian TV on March 31 on the CBC. I chose it since it would reflect on the other agencies aside from MITHRIL that were involved in the Behemoth crisis in Chuo in the Full Metal Panic! series and how they would prepare for the day when they would have to face the Behemoth again, as seen in the FMP Sigma mangas and the novels from Continuing On My Own.

For those who aren't familiar with the MA3-7906 artillery truck, just go to . . I'm just too lazy to explain it all to you guys as usual. XD

The H&R T223 is made by Harrington & Richardson Firearms, based on the HK33 assault rifle; Navy SEALS used in the Vietnam War. Has the same specs and all. The TCI M89SR sniper rifle is made in Israel by Technical Consulting International; Sayeret Duvdevan is the only known IDF special forces unit as the end users of the sniper rifle with success in the recent Intifada I believe.

* * *

Some Japanese words to know:

Hai - Yes. Some translate it as Yeah. Same thing, but it really means yes usually.


	16. Animal Instincts

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, the entire Indian Ocean Fleet deployed in Afghanistan for the assassination mission against Gauron wouldn't need to die (except Batist, Jackson and Andy, they're damn wusses who think they're better than Sousuke despite being older than him) and make Bill and Gray survive. Well actually, perhaps either Andy or Jackson would also live on with Bill and Gray to tell the tale of their actions.

Summary:

Tensions mounted between Sousuke and Ronald with an Indian Ocean Fleet unit the latter had served with prior to joining MITHRIL's Western Pacific Fleet as the joint task force had been ordered to assassinate Gauron, who was last seen in Afghanistan. Will the two groups be able to get along and finish the job or wallow in their hatred for one another? Will they keep hating each other that their common grounds for their mission will deteriorate? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 16: Animal Instincts

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules

For the past hour since the C-130H took off from the Salomon Islands base located in the Chagos Archipelago and over the Indian Ocean, tensions had loomed between Bil's unit and the two Western Pacific Fleet SRT operators sent in to assist them in taking down Gauron. It didn't help either the two factions from conserving their strength since they decided not to speak to one another.

It was clear that there wasn't going to be any smooth relationship soon.

"I apologize for what happened back there." Gray offered her hand to shake with Sousuke. Ronald smiled from under his balaclava; he knew that Gray was one of the few in the unit who stood up for him aside from Bill. "I assure that there's all not like that."

* * *

_It was in the year 2000 when Ronald served with the Indian Ocean Fleet after serving time with basic training in MITHRIL's Belize camp. Despite being recruited to serve in the Indian Ocean Fleet division, many of its SRT operators were unwary of his rank and how he had been recruited by MITHRIL._

_"Are you kidding me?" Andy shouted at Bill before he raised an accusing finger at Ronald, standing nearby. "You mean this kid's going to be with us?"_

_"I'm not a kid, for your information." Ronald glared into Andy's skull, despite his objections._

_"Whatever you little runt." Jackson confronted Ronald, glaring at the chevrons on his SRT uniform. "And how'd the hell did you get to Staff Sergeant? Did you suck up on someone to obtain that rank?"_

_"Hold it Jackson!" Gray defended Ronald by standing next to him. "You probably should know by now that he'd been raised by Big Boss alongside Gray Fox back in the Outer Heaven Crisis..."_

_"And he fought in Zanzibar during its independence wars. Yeah, Yeah, I gotcha there, Gray." Jackson sighed, waving his hand in front of Gray._

_"Just because I'm not that old yet doesn't mean that I can do my job in the field." Ronald defended himself, earning the irk of Batist, Jackson and Andy._

* * *

"I'm Sergeant Sagara. Sousuke Sagara." Sousuke shook hands with Gray's. "I believe that I've been told..."

"Oh yes indeed." Gray replied. "He did tell me a lot about you when the two of you were in the cockpit with the pilots..."

Suddenly, Andy interrupted the conversation when he kicked the C-130H's airframe real hard and sneered at Sousuke. "I'd like to drop you a word of advice to you, _kid_." He glared at Sousuke and Ronald before he spoke to the former. "Don't get in our _way _in the mission . Or else..."

"Andy!" Ronald shouted at the Texas native from his seat next to Sousuke's. The 10-gallon hat-wearing SRT operator went back to sit down at his seat. "Who the hell gave you the right to speak like that?"

Without saying anything, Andy tipped his hat and went back to sit down next to Bill.

"Once again," Gray sighed. _Damn that Andy! _"I'd like to apologize for what happened. I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."

"I see." Sousuke eyed Andy speaking to both Batist and Jackson. _Looks like I'm going to have a rough ride with those two later on._

* * *

Somewhere in Kabul, Afghanistan

"Everyone ready to go?" Gauron was in one of the Minsk МАЗ-7906 artillery trucks heading towards the directions of Kabul's outskirts. The truck had the RSD-10 Pioneer medium-range ballistic missile as it cargo, entirely covered so as not to arouse any suspicion.

"Everything's ready, Gauron." Red Fox, aka Chen Siu Wen, was seated next to Gauron in the MA3-7906's seat next to Gauron. Driving the truck was an Afghan Army soldier from the 1st Rifle Division, dressed in basic olive drab uniform with an olive green cap on. He had a German Simson Suhl Makarov pistol, modified with removed ex-East German Ernst Thaelman parts, holstered on the pistol holster on his belt. "We're going to have some escorts with us during the transport of the Pioneer."

"I hope this'll be much worth." Gauron sighed, the scarred assassin stared at the city streets. "You'll never know when those MITHRIL bastards will show up again."

The Singaporean asked Gauron. "So are you looking forward to face them again, Gauron?"

Gauron gave one of his trademark wicked smiles when he faced Red Fox. "I definitely am. Are you?"

Red Fox sighed, feeling sweat trickle out of his forehead. _I'm not sure if now's the right time to answer him. Maybe later._

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules

The C-130H's loadmaster emerged from the plane's cockpit and shouted. "We're over the target area! Move in to your Arm Slaves!"

At once, Bill's SRT unit came running towards their M9Es in their Arm Slave pilot suits. Likewise, Sousuke and Ronald came to their Arbalest and Falke units, already in their Arm Slave pilot suits.

"You ready, Sousuke?" Ronald asked his Western Pacific Fleet comrade before he entered the Falke's cockpit.

"I hope so." Sousuke replied. _And hopefully, I can take him down._

* * *

Somewhere in the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan

"Here it is." Red Fox accompanied Gauron after their truck had parked in a designated spot after leaving Kabul's city limits in the late morning hours. Awaiting them were two more MA3-7906 trucks that carried two unknown Arm Slaves, also draped to cover its appearance from curious eyes. Eight Soviet-made Rk-92 Savages were also on the scene, armed with Longinov BK-540 assault rifles. Two GAZ-66 4x4 trucks was parked near the Arm Slaves, being protected by a platoon of Afghan soldiers from the army's 38th Commando Battalion. The majority of the men had either beards or mustaches, most likely due to the influence of Islam in Afghan society. Their weapons ranged from IZHMASH AK-74 assault rifles, SVD sniper rifles and RPK-74M light machine guns with various Russian optics mounted on them.

Gauron grinned when he saw the olive green uniform, black beret-wearing commandos waiting for them. _For a Soviet-trained army, this bunch is surely impressive. _The 20th SFC was one of the many special forces in the pro-Soviet Afghan military trained by various communist bloc special forces units including the infamous Soviet Spetsnaz, North Chinese People's Liberation Army Special Operations Forces, Romanian Detaşamentul de Intervenţie Rapidă and North Korean 17th Sniper Brigade with ex-East German Fernaufklärer and 40 Fallschirmjägerbataillon troops being responsible for training the company's first soldiers after its establishments, the latter giving military training for the company to have airborne capabilities.

"Awfully nice to see some boy scouts to help us around." When Gauron and Red Fox dismounted from their MA3-7906 truck, they were greeted by Zaied with some 20th SFC soldiers accompanying him. The ex-Afghan guerrilla had been suited up with an Arm Slave pilot suit.

"Greetings Gauron." The scarred man greeted Gauron with a nod. "And you as well, Red Fox." Zaied greeted the Singaporean mercenary with a nod as well.

"Zaied." Red Fox greeted Zaied back.

"Formalities aside," Gauron said after being greeted. "is our stuff ready, Zaied?"

"Already there." Zaied used his left thumb to point out another MA3-7906 truck nearby. "It's with the driver. I told him to guard it. I got Fox's Zy-98 Shadow ready." Zaied then faced the scarred mercenary. "But I've got your Codarl ready. The technicians were able to fix some of the problems you mentioned."

"Alright." Gauron said before heading back to his MA3-7906. "Zaied, tell everyone to move out immediately. We can't waste time around here."

"Right." Zaied nodded, heading back to rendezvous with some of the other 20th SFC soldiers guarding the MA3-7906 truck with Red Fox's Shadow.

"And tell the boy scouts to move in on our rear when we move out!"

"Understood!"

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

_Looks like everything's set. Now to wait until I'm ready to do a HALO jump from the C-130H.  
_

Having booted the OS of the Arbalest, Sousuke switched on the external speakers for him to know when it was the right time to jump off from their C-130H transport.

**"Sergeant Sagara." **The voice of the loadmaster came into his cockpit via radio. **"You'll be cleared for a HALO drop after Sergeant Batist has parachuted from the aircraft."**

**"Roger that." **Sousuke replied. He watched as Batist moved his M9E near the ramp of the C-130H before he jumped from the plane.

After approximately three minutes, the loadmaster came on the Arbalest's radio. **"Okay Sergeant, you're cleared for the jump."**

**"Roger that." **Sousuke maneuvered the Arbalest towards the ramp. Ensuring that the parachute mounted on his Arm Slave was still functioning, Sousuke had the Arbalest jump from the C-130H.

* * *

Somewhere over Afghan airspace, Afghanistan

After being over Afghan airspace, 7 Arm Slaves had leapt from the C-130H in total succession via HALO drop one after the other. With the addition of ECS being used to conceal themselves from Afghan Air Force radar, their infiltration of the country had been without a hitch.

* * *

Afghan Army Convoy, somewhere in Afghanistan

Gauron, seated on top of the draped Codarl on the bed of the MA3-7906 truck, stared at the desolate mountainous terrain as the convoy traveled towards the entrance of a valley being overwatched by a canyon.

_We'll have to get out of this area as soon as we can. _Gauron stared at the canyon walls, wary of an attack. _Anti-Soviet guerrillas would love to pick us off from here. Anywhere up from the ridges is a good spot for using RPG rocket launchers or using small arms to snipe at us.  
_

For one way of another, it reminded him of Kashim back in the early days when Soviet troops were in Afghanistan.

Especially how a person going by the name of Kashim would love to kill him in the valley, which was perfect for a guerrilla-style ambush.

* * *

Unknown Canyon, somewhere in Afghanistan

Ronald was near Bill's unit, already conducting plans on how to ambush Gauron's convoy after being told by Gray that the convoy had Gauron with them. However, he heeded no attention to their planning for the meantime as he was busy making his Heckler and Koch HK93A3 assault rifle ready for battle. He had his balaclava worn over his head as always with his tactical vest and left leg holster, not to mention his Zanzibar Land Guards beret.

"No matter." Ronald pulled the retractable stock of his HK93A3. "I have a feeling they won't listen on Gauron."

"I have an objection."

_Here it comes. _Ronald slinged his HK93A3 and came near Gray. "What happened, Gray?"

Gray told her ex-teammate on the news. "Sergeant Sagara just voiced his objection to Bill's plan for the ambush."

_Figures. I need something like that would come sooner or later.  
_

Jackson glared at Sousuke. "Are you talking to us," He then followed it up with a venomous tone in his voice. "samurai boy?"

"In order to kill Gauron," Sousuke gave his opinion on Bill's plan. "our only choice is to attack him when he's a good distance away from his AS. Once he gets into that machine, we'd have no chance even with a combined ambush from all of your M9s."

Jackson and Andy angrily stood up after kneeling next to Bill. The former started to argue by swinging his fists around near Sousuke. "Do you want to die, little boy?"

"Kid, I told you." Andy glared at the scarred teen mercenary. "We're not looking for your advice."

"Hold it!" Gray stood up, defending Sousuke's suggestion. "These two have experienced fighting that man we're trying to kill. Don't you think we should be trying to listen to him?"

Jackson couldn't believe what Gray had said and instead, smirked. "A toddler who got lucky and scored a hit on a sumo wrestler."

Andy had the same smirk on his face. "Think he'll share us some of his tips on defense?"

Gray was quick to rebuke her comrades. "Stop it! They both fought that man on equal terms."

"And did you see them do it?"

The five SRT operators stared at Batist, seated on the ground. It was apparent that he was the one who threw Gray the question.

"So what then Batist?" Ronald threw the old soldier a challenging question. "You don't trust your fellow SRT operators so much that you mistrust us?"

"Yeah, right." Andy had a raised eyebrow at Ronald. "You and Sergeant Sagara at the de Danaan are just a bunch of spoiled brats. Always getting the newest toys like some kids waiting to get the newest video games from mom and dad."

The remark did it. Ronald had taken insults before when he had been an orphan back in Outer Heaven. And among the things that he won't tolerate are insults that attack his race, heritage and the effort that he had attained to get to where he was now.

"Are you..." Ronald quickly drew out his Manurhin MR73 Gendarmerie revolver from the holster on his tactical vest, being fast enough to draw the weapon out. "trying to ask for trouble Andy? Because if there's one thing that I don't tolerate, it's bastards like you who don't give a shit to everyone back in the TDD-1 and how we contribute to MITHRIL's success."_ Guess I need to thank those Americans for kidnapping me and Shinji to be their own child soldiers after Outer Heaven was defeated._ Andy was nervous when he found the revolver aimed for his forehead when Ronald cocked its hammer.

"That's enough from all of you!" Bill shouted to intervene in the quarrel between his subordinates and Ronald. "I've said all I need to say." Before walked to his crouching M9, the African American glanced at Ronald. "You know I'm not your commanding officer anymore, but I advise you put that revolver away. It wouldn't be helpful if there's one less in the group needed to take the convoy down."

Sousuke simply went back to the Arbalest, a bit upset over what had happened. Ronald glared at Andy, Jackson and Batist before he twirled his MR73 Gendarmerie on his right index finger and holstered it on his vest. "Yes, sir." replied Ronald, making himself look intimidating to the three before he unslinged his HK93A3 and positioned himself in the canyon where he can attack the convoy from within a reasonable distance.

_Those guys are still in their conceited modes as ever. I'm glad I requested a transfer to the R&D Division._

* * *

Ridge, Unknown Canyon, Somewhere in Afghanistan

Ronald had elected not to be in his Arm Slave and instead, provide reconnaissance on the ground with his Falke on autonomous mode. Due to this, he had a headset worn over his head and a frequency channel open to the Falke's A.I. Anna linked up to the frequency used by Bill's team.

**"Are you sure that it's a wise decision for you to be on the ground?" **Anna asked Ronald, who positioned himself on a ridge near the valley floor. **"I don't see any reason why you should not participate with the others..."**

**"I won't hear any further objections from you, Anna." **Ronald installed an HK telescopic claw mount on his HK93A3's receiver. Staring at the incoming convoy, he saw an unknown gray and red Arm Slave, which were the Zy-98 Shadows that were being piloted by Zaied and Red Fox. _Must be new ASes made by the Soviets._

**"Understood, Sergeant Chua."**

**"Hey, Ronald." **Gray's voice came in on Ronald's headset. **"You have a minute there?"**

**"Yeah." **Ronald snapped on an Aimpoint CompM2 red dot scope on it minutes after getting the claw mount in place. **"What is it?"**

**"I apologize for what happened with you and Andy." **Gray said, apologizing to her Indian Ocean Fleet colleague. **"I didn't expect that kind of welcome from Andy or the others after you were reassigned."**

**"You don't have to apologize, Grace. You don't have to." **Ronald sighed, placing the butt of the HK93A3 on his left shoulder. **"Andy needs to work on his mouth and brain for him to function in society again..."**

Their conversation was halted when Sousuke came on their frequency. **"Wait! Something's not right."**

**"Sousuke?" **Ronald spoke to his comrade. **"Something up, buddy?"**

**"I don't see Gauron in the convoy." **Sousuke asked the masked SRT operator. **"Can you see if you have a visual on him from the ridge?"**

Ronald began to frantically search the entire convoy, aiming at it with his CompM2. **"Negative. I can't seem to get a good visual on the target, but there is a truck following the convoy full of armed Afghan soldiers."**

**"Damn." **Bill gritted his teeth. **"Target must've been doing a mission on behalf of the Afghan army." **Ronald heard Andy and Batist updating them on the status of the convoy, which was nearing the ambush spot that Bill had designated.

**"If we can't get a visual on the target,"** Sousuke voiced his comment. **"then we should cancel our attack. That AS is dangerous, listen to me..." **

Jackson rebuked Sousuke's suggestion to cancel the attack. **"Don't you ever shut your frickin' mouth?"**

**"Jackson!" **Ronald shouted on his radio. **"Why don't you shut it for a change?"**

* * *

Afghan Army Convoy, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Hmph. Got a bad feeling about this."

Staring at the ridges everywhere after the convoy entered the canyon valley, Gauron stared at the draped Codarl at the MA3-7906's bed. "I wonder if I should get inside."

The more Gauron stared around at his surroundings, the more the scarred terrorist/mercenary was tempted to hide inside his Codarl should the worst case scenario should happen to him or to the convoy.

"I probably should be inside." Gauron partially lifted the cover on his Codarl before he went to locate its cockpit hatch. "Just to be sure. Better to be safe than sorry anyway."

* * *

Ridge, Unknown Canyon, Somewhere in Afghanistan

"I just had enough of this waiting game!"

Pissed off at the tension between Sousuke, Ronald and himself, Jackson began the ambush too early by getting his M9E to fire his Oerlikon Contraves GEC-B assault rifle at the convoy. Being able to stop the convoy in its tracks after firing some pot shots at it, the ambush was then ready to proceed.

_Bastard! What's he trying to do? _Ronald glared at Jackson's M9E.

**"All right!" **Bill went to initiate the ambush on the convoy, sliding his M9E down the canyon slope carefully but in a rapid pace while firing his GEC-B while being followed by the other M9Es with the Arbalest and Falke staying behind. **"Batist, go block the convoy! Andy, Jackson, make a feint! Gray and I'll find the target."  
**

"Crap!" Ronald aimed the CompM2 mounted on his HK93A3 to fire several 5.56 NATO bullets in FMJ against dismounting 38th CB troopers after their GAZ-66 trucks came into a halt following the ambush. **"Anna, I need some anti-personnel suppression!"**

**"Understood!" **The Falke took aim at the 20th SFC troopers, firing their small arms at it, with its AM-11 chainguns from its head. A majority of the Afghan soldiers were shot and killed with others being wounded when the Falke fired its chainguns from left to right. Ronald supported his Falke when he picked off the other SFC troopers taking cover near one of the GAZ-66 trucks.

Batist had his M9E fire off warning shots from his GEC-B to scare the MA3-7906s from driving off any further. Bill, Gray, Andy and Jackson worked together to eliminate Afghan Army Rk-92 Savages accompanying the convoy by either shooting their Oto Melara Boxer shotcannons or their own GEC-B assault rifles. In the crossfire, the Codarl fell off its overturned MA3-7906 truck.

"I'll need some help here." Ronald clenched his teeth, carefully aiming the CompM2 at a 20th SFC soldier with a RPK-74M light machine gun at his chest with a short semi-automatic burst from his HK93A3. He then was forced to get into cover by using the rocks on the ridge as cover when other surviving 20th SFC troopers fired their weapons at him.

**"Hope you don't mind I give you some backup." **The Arbalest fired its Boxer shotcannon at the GAZ-66 trucks, which exploded and killed most of the 38th CB soldiers standing near them. Ronald took the opportunity to gun down the remaining 38th CB troopers frantically firing their weapons at the Arbalest, temporarily distracted before each one of them were killed when Ronald fired his HK93A3 in short semi-automatic bursts.

* * *

Canyon Floor, Unknown Canyon, Somewhere in Afghanistan

"Everything appears to be quiet." Ronald began to search the destroyed trucks for enemy survivors while Bill and the other Indian Ocean SRT operators secured the site to locate Gauron or his body. "Except that." When Ronald spotted a wounded 38th CB soldier trying to aim his AK-74 at him, Ronald sighed and reached for his MR-73 Gendarmerie revolver from his vest holster and fired a single .357 hollow point bullet at the wounded soldier's head. _There. That should be enough justification for self-defense._

"That went well." Ronald began to hear radio chatter on his headset as he holstered the French-made revolver.

**"What the hell's that?" **Hearing Batist panicking on his radio, Ronald stared up to see two of the Zy-98 Shadows leaping towards Batist's M9E.

* * *

"You want to play rough with me, huh?"

Batist drew out the Geotron Electronics GRAW-2 monomolecular cutter knife from the sheath strapped on its rear and engaged the dark grey Zy-98 Shadow, which had already drawn out its own monomolecular cutter knives and began to clash against him. Either Batist or the unknown Zy-98 Shadow would try to take a stab or slice at the other before it was blocked after the cutter blade was parried away from the cockpit of the two Arm Slaves.

"What the?" The red-colored Zy-98 Shadow dashed towards Batist's M9E and moved left to right in an effort to confuse his orientation towards it. Once he had landed near Batist, the red Shadow tossed the monomolecular cutter on its left hand on the M9E's cockpit before he leaped to get close to Batist and drive the weapon further into the cockpit.

"AAAGGGHHH!" Batist could only yell in pain as the searing blade penetrated his cockpit, giving him a major wound on his side. _Crap! Got a wound! Damn these guys are good._

* * *

"Batist!" Jackson yelled after seeing the red Shadow stab Batist's M9E. "Damn it!"

"Hang on, Batist!" Bill shouted, seeing his comrade got hit. "I'm coming..."

Suddenly, a booming sound was heard from the rear of the Indian Ocean Fleet SRT unit. Seeing the commotion, Ronald made a mad dash for his Falke, which knelt down and lowered his hand in order to get him near its cockpit hatch.

_Gauron! So you're alive then. _Sousuke, from the Arbalest's cockpit, watched the dust clouds that were formed from the explosion before it revealed who the culprit was.

Showing off its trademark red lit triangular eye and white ponytail, the Codarl stood up from the ground ready to fight its MITHRIL opponents.

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Codarl

"Hey," Gauron grinned. "mind if I join in the fun you guys?"

The scarred terrorist observed Zaied and Red Fox, in their respective Shadow Arm Slaves, were being confronted by Andy and Jackson after the latter fired his GEC-B at them before they leaped out of the way to hide behind the ridges. _Good. They should keep some of them busy. _

Seeing the M9E charging at him with his GRAW-2 monomolecular cutter knife at the ready, Gauron grinned and got his monomolecular cutter ready too after he drew it out from the Codarl's waist. "This guy then must their captain. Otherwise, no one would bother to charge up to my face and challenge me."

"Hrah!" Gauron parried the M9E's attempt to stab his cockpit and countered by executing a vertical swipe and at one point, ducked before he stomped the Codarl's left foot so as to execute another vertical swipe aimed to disable the M9E for good. _Guy's good at this._

Deciding to even the odds for himself, Gauron manipulated his Codarl to kick and elbow the M9E in order to stun him. "This'll teach ya!"

* * *

Cockpit, Bill's Geotron M9E

"Why you, I oughta..."

**"Be careful you guys." **Batist spoke on the SRT radio channel, seemingly gasping for air as he had been wounded. **"Those...those guys are really tough."**

Furious at the sudden _surprise _attack after his M9E fell down in front of his adversary, Bill drew out his Boxer shotcannon and aimed it straight at the Codarl's head section without giving any time to expand its retractable stock.

"What the?" After he aimed the Boxer's barrel, a flash of light appeared in front of the Codarl and enveloped part of the Boxer's barrel. "Holy crap! Lambda Driver's already been activated." _And if I don't do something fast, this'll be my last tour of duty. Only except that I'll be dead..._

A whizzing sound was heard overhead Bill's M9E, making an impact on Gauron's Codarl and onto the Lamba Driver barrier between him and Bill's M9E. Though Bill was left alive, his Boxer shotcannon had been destroyed due to the intensity that Gauron used for his Lamba Driver.

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Codarl

"Urgh!" Gauron was forced to deflect more of the rifle shots that were fired at him. "Someone's firing at me. Who could it be?"

Gauron eyed the Falke, pointing the Mauser MGK rifle at him. "Damn! My old rifle. And it's being used against me..."

He then manipulated his Codarl to deactivate the Lamba Driver and dodge all the MGK's rifle shots mean for him when he used the Lamba Driver to defend himself instead of using it to kill his opponent.

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

**"Gray, Bill, get out of there!" **Ronald yelled from his radio as he continued to shoot at the Codarl, even though he knew that it would be useless due to the Lamba Driver being used. **"I'll provide backup against this montrosity."**

**"U-understood!" **Bill replied. **"Andy, Jackson, tow one of the MA3-7906 trucks with the nuclear missile on it and someone put Batist on the cab. Hurry!"**

**"Got it." **Ronald heard Andy reply.

**"Will do." **Jackson followed in replying to his superior's orders.

**"While the Arbalest and Falke are distracting the enemy, I'll go and activate the self-destruct sequence on Batist's M9."**

Ronald momentarily focused on distracting Gauron before Sousuke took over and used his Boxer shotcannon to shoot at Gauron himself. After Andy and Jackson were able to rig the MA3-7906 truck with the Pioneer nuclear missile for their M9Es to pull it with ropes, Bill and Gray left the ambush site first to escort their comrades in pulling the artillery truck before Sousuke and Ronald were able to secure their rear and leave when the former tossed a Honeywell M1067 Fragmentation Grenade straight at the Codarl.

Unfortunately for the scarred mercenary, he knew that the grenade wouldn't do any good as the Codarl's Lamba Driver activated the moment the tossed weapon exploded.

* * *

Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa's Office, Merida Island

"Is it just me or am I just getting the chills ever since those two left Merida Island?"

Tessa hugged herself for a bit, despite not having the air conditioner on in her office as she did not feel the need for it.

"Why do I feel cold?" Tessa eyed her female MITHRIL officer's uniform. "Is it due to the uniform?" _Or am I just imagining things?_

The TDD-1 commanding officer sighed, deciding to recline on her chair instead in order to relax and get some stress off from checking on documents that she had received in the morning all the way from Sydney.

"I think I need a vacation from this officework." Tessa whispered, whining about her incoming headache.

* * *

Ridge, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"Incoming!" **Ronald targeted a Mil Mi-24D helicopter gunship that was flying near the SRT formation, trying to take down Bill and Gray, with his MGK spitting out 35 mm rounds that went straight for the cockpit and belly. **"Got your back, Bill."**

**"Thanks a lot." **Bill eyed another Mil Mi-24D gunship that flew in front of their formation. _Dang! Another one, must be trying to ambush us. _Taking out his GEC-B mounted on his M9E's hip, Bill fired it under semi-auto against the flying intruder.

**"Goddamit!"** Jackson snarled after seeing Bill gun down the second Mil Mi-24D, which plummeted somewhere else in the canyon floor. **"Whoever's carting off with this dang nuclear missile in the first place must've been in cahoots with most of the Afghan Air Force to muscle their Hinds against our asses!"**

Bill inhaled and exhaled. **"At least we're out in the clear. But we'll need some place to hide out until the storm goes down."**

**"No kidding, Bill." **Andy came on Bill's radio. **"There's an incoming sandstorm. We'll need shelter and fast."**

**"Gray." **Bill patched in on Gray's radio. **"How's Batist holding up? Is he going to be fine?"**

The gray-haired woman of Eastern European origin replied, **"I think so. But I don't think he'll last long out here. I agree with Andy, we need a good hiding place to sit this out until we can stabilize Bill's condition."**

**"Urgghhh..." **The team heard Batist's painful moans. It was getting louder and louder by the minute.

Bill sighed and had his worst fears confirmed. The injected painkillers were starting to wear off and with that, it made their situation bad as they needed to treat their comrade right away. **"Dang! Painkiller's are almost out. Better find a place where we can get Batist some medical aid and fast."**

Jackson came up with a suggestion, as he and Andy pulled the MA3-7906 behind them. **"Then let's go to the nearest town. They should at least have a phone or two somewhere there."**

**"I'm sorry, but I'll have to object."**

The African-American with dreadlocks was infuriated after hearing the objection. _I think I better beat that boy silly for him to understand one of these days._ **"Dammit, samurai boy! You really must want to die after this time, doncha huh?"**

Ronald decided to refute on Jackson's claims. **"Knock it off. If you're aware that Afghanistan is a pro-Moscow state, then you should've been able that ****Khadamat-e Etela'at-e Dawlati has a far extent on the villages and town, even from Kabul."**

Jackson was about to hurl an answer back on to his ex-masked SRT colleague when Bill spoke up. **"He's right. Them KHAD people are like the Soviet's KGB. Since they were trained under Soviet guidance, they've got good spies in every Afghan town, city and village. Heck, we'd stand out due to the fact that we're foreigners. A KHAD agent would probably be able to report to Kabul in a matter of minutes."**

**"So in other words," **Gray replied to Bill's explanation. **"we'll be in trouble after we foot in any town or village, right?"**

**"Afraid so, Gray."**

**"So what do we do then?" **Andy felt worried about their current situation. **"Is there a place where we can hide out for the meantime?"**

There was hesitation from within the group; no one offered a good answer to Andy's concern.

**"There is a place where we can hide."**

Everyone from the Indian Ocean Fleet SRT listened in to Sousuke, who had been the only to answer Andy.

Andy challenged Sousuke's reply. **"And where is this hiding place?"**

Sousuke replied to Andy's challenge, earning a raised eyebrow for a short time.

**"It's just down the valley there." **Andy, from his M9E cockpit, saw the Arbalest point down the ridge.**"If we can get down there, we can avoid any further confrontation with the Afghan military."**

Jackson, like Andy, questioned Sousuke's _judgement _on the matter. **"And just how do you know about this, Sergeant?"**

Silence once more reigned in from the ranks of the the SRT task force. Once again, Sousuke was able to break the ice between them.

**"I once fought in Afghanistan as an anti-communist guerrilla back in the 1980s and 90s."**

The answer had not been absorbed by Bill nor by the other members of his SRT team. **"You were an anti-government guerrilla?"**

**"Unbelievable..." **Gray whispered. **"You fought in such a young age?"**

**"Whoa..." **Andy swallowed his saliva hard upon hearing the news. **"Never expected to hear that coming from miles away."**

**"Hey." **Bill patched up his radio to make contact's with Ronald's Falke. **"If I remember right, didn't you say that you used to conduct operations in this country?"**

**"Yeah, Bill." **Ronald answered. **"Did some missions when I was with Zanzibar Land for a short time back in the late '90s, so I'm familiar with most parts of the country just like Sousuke is."**

**"Then what are waiting for?" **Andy spoke to Sousuke, having realized that he might be the only hope left for the task force. **"Better lead the way for us, Sergeant."**

Moving the Arbalest to slide down the ridge slope, Sousuke led the way for the rest of them. **"Roger that." **Automatic gunfire broke out when a squad of Afghan Army Savages appeared nearby, firing at them with their BK-540s.

Ronald followed behind Sousuke with the Falke sliding down the slope. After the two Arm Slaves were able to safely confirm the area as safe, Andy and Jackson came next to slide down the slope while ensuring that the MA3-7906 was safe as Batist was recuperating from inside its cab. Afterwards, Gray and Bill came last with the former gunning down a Savage after she fired her GEC-B at its torso region, destroying it.

* * *

Bar, Bar Darza, Merida Island

"You seem a little down there, miss."

The bartender of the Bar Darza's bar watched Nora sit on one of the bar stools with an empty glass in front of her.

"Not really," Nora threw a smile at the bartender. "just a friend of mine's doing a mission with Sergeant Sagara yesterday."

"You mean that masked guy?" The aged bartender sighed and cleaned up a beer mug after he rinsed it on running water. "You know, I never figured out who that guy was. I mean, he's got that mask worn over his head all the time."

"Are you intimidated by that?" Nora asked. The blode-haired woman scratched her hair.

The bartender grinned and shook his head. "Not at all, miss. I've seen much weirder folks back in my younger days and being masked wasn't one of those things."

"I see."

"But don't you worry." The bartender took the empty glass from Nora. "I'm sure that he'll be back. Heard some stories from the SRT guys that he used to be raised by Big Boss in Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land."

"The greatest mercenary who infiltrated the Soviet Union and San Hieronymo during the early days of the Cold War?"

"Heh. The very same." The white-haired man, with the empty glass at hand, asked Nora. "And by the way, what was the drink that you ordered? I kinda forgot..."

* * *

Cockpit, Zaied's Zy-98 Shadow

Reflecting on the events that transpired in the ambush, Zaied stared at his console despite hearing Gauron's complaints being directed at the scarred ex-guerrilla.

**"Zaied! Get the hell off me at once! Zaied! Are you damn listening to me?"**

"Hmmm..." Zaied murmured to himself. "The way that unknown white AS fought Gauron with the black one? Can they be..." Zaied stared at the console again to see the red-colored Shadow walking towards him, its monomolecular cutter blades sheathed. "Either I'm wrong or can those two be Kashim and Al-Aziz."

**"Yo!" **Zaied heard radio contact in his cockpit. Staring at the red Shadow, Zaied deduced that contact was being made from the Arm Slave standing in front of him. _What does Red Fox want?_

**"What is it?" **Zaied asked Red Fox.

**"Not to be a bother or anything," **The Singaporean mercenary asked. **"But why the hell are you seated on top of Gauron's Codarl? Is there a motive behind it?"**

**"You do not have to know it." **Zaied coldly replied to his fellow Amalgam-hired mercenary. **"I have my reasons."**

**"Fine." **Red Fox sighed. **"It's not like I care anyway."**

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"Here it is guys."**

The Arbalest and the Falke stood before a cave which had several white flags in front of it, most of them planted on the ground before its square-holed entrances. There were some empty cartridges from both human and AS-size small arms littered the area, though not all of them were a hazard to anyone should they decided to walk around.

Bill asked Sousuke, **"Is the area safe, Sergeant?"**

**"Yes it is, Lieutenant." **Sousuke replied. **"Only guerrillas know of this place," **The black-haired mercenary became silent for a few seconds. **"though Gauron knew of this place before."**

**"I understand. I guess we need to move quickly before it's too late." **Bill began to give out instruction to the entire task force. **"Everyone, dismount from your Arm Slaves at once. Our first priority is to get Batist inside the cave and stabilize his wounds ASAP."**

* * *

Cave Interior, Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Just look at this place." Jackson, with a flashlight, illuminated the walls around him. He saw that most of them were filled with bullet holes. "Man, never expected some kind of battle to be fought in caves like this."

"How's Sergeant Sagara doing?" Gray asked Ronald, helping Bill and Andy lay down Batist on the ground covered with a white blanket below him.

"He should be able to locate some medical supplies just in case Bill's wouldn't be enough."

"Found it!" Sousuke ran back to Bill and the others with a medikit in hand. "Found some supplies that were vacuum packed from the storage containers. But we'll need to sterilize it just in case. I'm not sure how long it's been packed since I left here."

"All right." _We'll do that. Better to be safe than sorry. Can't have Batist die over some potentially contaminated medical supplies that Sergeant Sagara has. _Bill nodded before he issued his orders. "Gray, better find some water we can use and boil it. Andy, get the flashlight from Jackson."

"Understood." Gray and Andy both replied before the two went off to attend to their duties.

"I'll go and change Batist's dressing." Bill said before he faced Sousuke and Ronald. "You two better stay outside and keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Last thing we need is a surprise attack on this area mounted by either the Afghan military or that damn Gauron."

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke and Ronald stood guard near the empty Arm Slaves that were on its knees and hands with the stolen MA3-7906 truck parked nearby. The former had a Colt M4 assault rifle at the ready with the latter having his HK93A3 assault rifle.

"You alright?" Ronald asked his SRT comrade, adjusting the rifle sling on his weapon. "You seemed kinda worried."

"Yeah, I am." Sousuke replied. "It'll be a while before Gauron would muster up some reinforcements and mobilize them to find this cave."

"Didn't you say that story from before?" _Oops! Sh-t! Great move, Ronnie boy! Great way to start the conversation. _Ronald felt the need to slap himself silly.

"From befo-" Sousuke said before he stopped to collect his thoughts. _Wait a minute. Then he's... I've only told the story back when I fought under Zanzibar Land, so my masked colleague here's Ronald after all this time? But why did he bother to hide his identity from me and the others _"Wait a minute, are you Ronald Chua? The Ronald from Zanzibar?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ronald tried to deny what Sousuke had said.

"But..." Sousuke tried to refute it. _It can't be, it has to be him!_

"So what are you guys talking about?" A familiar woman spoke up, ending the conversation between the two MITHRIL mercenaries.

* * *

Ambush Site, Canyon Floor, Unknown Canyon, Somewhere in Afghanistan

"...they seemed to have stopped right here in this spot."

Zaied pointed out to Gauron and Red Fox a spot in the map of southern Afghanistan with an X crossed over it.

Red Fox stared at the map. "Is there a reason why they stopped here, Zaied?"

"Initially," Zaied scratched his chin. "I thought that they would make a break away from this area considering that they would probably need to get supplies for the team."

"But as it turns out," Gauron studied the map himself before he made his conclusion to Zaied's thoughts. "they can't get an inch near to the town since KHAD agents and informers would tell Kabul if foreigners were around."

"Looks like we'd be able to launch an attack on the area soon enough."

"Indeed." Gauron turned to faced Red Fox and grinned. "After all, the area used to be both stomping grounds for both me and Zaied. So it should be of no problem for us in the long run."

"You guys knew about that place." Red Fox studied the map provided by Zaied. "Even from before?"

"Yeah."

"I see." Red Fox felt a bit... well, perhaps surprised that his fellow Amalgam mercenaries would know about the area that they were in.

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"So what are you guys talking about?"

Sousuke and Ronald turned their heads around to see Gray emerge out of the cave.

"Nothing." Ronald replied. Gray didn't bother to ask him.

"So how is he?" Sousuke asked.

Gray replied, "You mean Batist? He's fine, we've been able to stabilize him. But soon enough, we'll need to get him to some sort of hospital in order for him to fully recover from his wounds."

Ronald smiled. "That sounds fair."

"Sergeant." Gray addressed Sousuke. "Does the enemy know about this cave?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am." Sousuke shook his head. "We'll have to go with the assumption that the enemy is familiar with this place and will find this place sooner or later."

The gray-haired woman was a bit disappointed when she heard Sousuke. "I understand."

Crouching on the ground, Sousuke picked up a used 14.5 mm cartridge and stared at it. "This camp brings back memories, although bad ones."

Gray and Ronald stared at Sousuke, opting not to ask him.

"I was out of the camp, conducting reconnaissance on the movement of Soviet and DRA forces after hearing some rumors from the villagers." Sousuke tossed away the used 14.5 mm cartridge back to the ground. "But when I came back, I fought out that most of my comrades had been slaughtered while trying to defend this place." He then stared at the white flags planted on the ground. "Those flags symbolize how many anti-communist guerrillas were killed here." Sousuke clenched his fists. "Gauron had been with the Afghan army party, most likely hired by Kabul."

Sousuke felt a hand clasped on his left shoulder when he brought his head down to stare at the flags.

* * *

Ambush Site, Canyon Floor, Unknown Canyon, Somewhere in Afghanistan

"Have you been able to contact Kabul for military reinforcements?" Gauron asked Red Fox, while Zaied was busy studying the map on how to attack the cave hideout that Sousuke and the others were using for refuge.

"I did." Red Fox nodded. "Even though senior Afghan army officials were barking literally down my ear when I told them the reason why we needed additional reinforcements."

"Those dang chair warmers." Gauron smirked. "Always finding a reason to complain about when we're here in Afghan soil just to do them a little favor on behalf of Mr. Gold."

"Over here." Zaied called on Gauron. "I've studied the map and I'm able to see some points where our friend, Kashim and Al-Aziz might do on this situation..."

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"I was once in the same situation as you are, Sergeant Sagara."

Sousuke saw that Gray was now talking to him. Ronald decided to continue on watch, less that an Afghan army unit would appear out of nowhere and start attacking them.

"I was a guerrilla also like you back where I came from." Gray narrated her story. "During one of my missions, my unit was surrounded by government forces on all sides and we were taking huge numbers of casualties." She stared at the afternoon sky above them before she continued. "Despite many requests back with my comrades for additional reinforcements, no one was able to come and help me. Not until the last battle was over."

"I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Gray. No one should ever go through that one way or another."

"It's all right." Gray shook her head and hugged her chest, as if feeling cold. "After that battle, I left their ranks and I made my way to Belize, where I was recruited to join MITHRIL. Up to this point, I'm still bitter over what happened and whether a difference would've been made if reinforcements did arrive to back up my unit."

Sousuke smiled a bit. _I see. _"I guess that means a thank you for sharing your story as I did, even though there wasn't any sort of happy ending in there."

"I know, Sergeant." Gray smiled as well. "I do know. I just need to get something off my chest once in a while." She then asked him, "Do you have someone waiting for you then? Family or perhaps, relatives?"

Sousuke shook his head. "No, ma'am. I was orphaned at a young age. I don't know much of my family, if I do have surviving kin back in Japan."

"Oh." Gray stared to see Ronald, patrolling the grounds by himself. _Then I guess that it wouldn't hurt at all if I told him about Ronald's past. _"I haven't told you about this, Sergeant. But Ronald's also orphaned too..."

"He is?" When Gray looked at Sousuke with a confused face, Sousuke explained himself. "Sorry about that. It's just that he never talked about it, back when we were fighting as mercenaries in Zanzibar."

"Is that so?" Gray sighed. "Well, from what I know about Ronald..." _Hmmm... Where do I start anyway? _She coughed a bit before she told about Ronald's history. "All I know is that his father was Chinese and mother Japanese. Both of them were killed during the bombing of the Philippine Stock Exchange back in the 1990s."

Sousuke didn't reply. _A similar circumstance like me, huh?_

"From what he told me, he was abducted and was taken to Africa to be used as a child soldier before Ronald was rescued by Big Boss with some mercenaries he recruited."

"That was...interesting." Sousuke collected what information Gray gave him. "Wait a second. I remember hearing about this prior to joining MITHRIL after I left Cambodia. I heard rumors that Gauron was the sole mastermind responsible with some assistance from the New People's Army." He then sighed and exhaled. "But again, it's just a rumor. I'm not sure on most of the facts that I heard of."

_Gauron eh? If Ronald hears about this, he may not concentrate on the mission and fight him instead on personal grounds without trying to fight equally. _"But it doesn't stop there though." Gray saw that Ronald had to check his HK93A3 assault rifle. "I heard that he was friends with another abducted boy of his age when they were being sent to Africa. If I'm right, he's Japanese and they were together even all the way to Zanzibar Land after Big Boss rescued them from their kidnappers and tried to raise them while trying to keep them civilized as he can."

"Big Boss huh?" Sousuke heard a familiar name from Gray. "I remember being in Outer Heaven for a short time, but I'm not sure if I know them back then. A lot of orphans were there in South Africa."

* * *

Beach, somewhere in Japan

"Achoo!"

Shinji sneezed hard, though he had worn a shirt and some beach shorts on. _Dang! Is someone talking about me already? I don't remember getting sand kicked up on my face. _He faced to his side to see Kurz lying down on the blanket with an umbrella placed nearby to shield them from the sun. "My nose."

"You alright, Shinji?" Kurz, woke up to see Shinji rubbing his nose. He only had a camp shirt and beack shorts on as well. "Heard you sneeze quite loud that you could've woke up the other people from napping around here."

"Yeah, I'm fine." Shinji took off his glasses and rubbed his eye.

"So what happened? Got an allergic reaction?" The German asked his companion.

Shinji shook his head. "No. No I don't. Don't have one of those reactions, Kurz." Shrugging his shoulders, Kurz simply went back to lie down on the blanket while he smiled as the umbrella gave the two of them much shelter from the sun's harmful rays.

"Fine. But we gotta leave soon in a while. We're going to have dinner in a while by 7 in the evening."

_Strange. _Shinji looked around the beach to see that nothing was unusually going on. _On a day like this when I get to relax while Kaname and the girls are having much fun under the sun. _Before he lied down on the blanket as well, something bothered Shinji for him to stop and think for a few minutes.

_I'm not sure if it's just me, but I've got a strange feeling that something's bound to him ever since Sousuke and Ronald left for Afghanistan from all the chatter I've been back in Merida._

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Gray shrugged her shoulders. "But aside from trying to raise Ronald and the other boy right, he personally taught them military instruction."

Sousuke was a bit interested in what Gray had said. "Haven't heard Big Boss personally teaching some of the orphans."

The gray-haired woman replied. "Probably due to the fact that he'd been sterile from his days back in Bikini Atoll, or so I heard."

"Is that so?"

Not answering Sousuke's query, Gray stared at her wristwatch. "Well Sergeant, do you have someone waiting for you back home?"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Gray giggled. "I'm sorry about that. I mean, Japan is your homeland right? After all, your name gives it all away. Or am I wrong?"

Sousuke swallowed his saliva and shook his head. "No, you're right. To be honest, I think there is."

It was now Gray's turn to have a raised eyebrow on the young mercenary. _What? I don't think I got that._

Looking up at the clear afternoon sky, Sousuke smiled. "I think there is someone waiting forward to see me back home."

"It should be around 8 hours." Gray checked her wristwatch to make sure. "Yeah, that's right. An 8 hour difference between Afghanistan and Japan."

"Then..."

"That's right." Gray nodded. "Should be getting dark back there in a while."

"Gray!" Bill emerged out of the cave to call up on his subordinate.

"Excuse me." Gray said before excused herself after she had been called by Bill. Sousuke was then left alone to ponder on his thoughts once again.

"Hey." Sousuke saw Ronald approaching him, having done patrolling near their Arm Slaves. "What's up with Gray?"

"Nothing much." Sousuke yawned. "Just Gray getting something off her chest when she told me about what happened before she came to join MITHRIL."

"Okay." Ronald stared at the only path leading to the camp. _While Bill and the others are stabilizing Batist's condition, we have to start preparing a contingency plan to counter Gauron and his Afghan army buddies should they come here. _"One thing is that she wasn't able to find out the bastard responsible for screwing around with her reinforcements during her guerrilla days."

"I wonder if she'll actually catch the guy." Sousuke checked his M4 to ensure that he held it by the trigger grip and foregrip tightly.

"Who knows?" Ronald shrugged his shoulders. "Speaking of which," Ronald eyed his surroundings. "we need to start preparing for the inevitable. We won't know when Gauron and his buddies will come here to visit us."

"You're right." Sousuke shared the same thoughts as his comrade did. "And I doubt that they'll all drop by and say hello when they got Arm Slaves and helicopter gunships ready to drop the bomb at us instead of talking over drinks."

Chapter 16 END

PS - Got chapter title from a Canadian indie novel I've been reading lately (And I've finished it too). Was entirely written by Anthony Horton, a business consultant who writes on the side as a hobby. Basically, it's about an ex-Vietnam vet who trains an orphan to be an assassin. Soon later, the two engage each other like cat and mouse after the orphan now assassin breaks the rule of his handlers by having a girl, something they don't approve (I think that part of the premise is dumb, but not that I care. I haven't written a novel myself aside from these countless amount of fanfics in anyway). Not sure if I should laugh at that part of the plot, but the hunt between protégé and his master is quite interesting. Buy it if you can from Amazon, it reminded me of The Hunted that starred Benicio Del Toro and Tommy Lee Jones, despite the fact that I haven't watch the entire movie. But only in the first half of it.

Quick word on various group and organizations mentioned on this chapter. the Detaşamentul de Intervenţie Rapidă or DIR (Romanian: Direct Intervention Squad). They're quite similar to the American Delta Force, Canadian JTF2 and the Russian Spetsnaz. Usually operate in teams consisting of 4 to 6 soldiers at a time. DIR used to be under the Romanian Army's 30th Guards Brigade before they were made independent. (Sigh!) Again, the Guards.

For the 17th Sniper Brigade, they're merely a name for one of North Korea's elite SOFs. In par with the 60th and 61st, they're considered to be the best SOF units in the Korean People's Army. In other words, they're not snipers but commandos trained in all forms on warfare for a future Korean War and potential operations in ROK and Japanese soil. I think that they do compare to the American Green Berets in forms of their tasks such as unconventional warfare, direct action and guerrilla warfare.

The Fernaufklärer is the former East German army's special forces unit. They do mainly Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) stuff, but they're trained to do other special operations activities like direct actions and guerrilla-style raids. The 40 Fallschirmjägerbataillon is an elite airborne special forces unit in the former East German air force. Has tough requirements as 8-10 percent of recruits do get allowed into the unit since hundreds of potential recruits always sign up for it. Feel free to put in the review on what Fernaufklärer means. From what I know, their training has been under Spestnaz guidance in case of a WWIII scenario in continental Europe. The unit has been bestowed with the designation Willi Sänger, named after a German communist party official who resisted Nazi rule. I guess I don't need to explain how the designation came to the Fallschirmjägerbataillon in the first place.

Khadamat-e Etela'at-e Dawlati (KHAD) or State Intelligence Agency in English was Afghanistan's main intelligence agency during the 1970s and 80s when it was under Soviet influence. It was already replaced by another intelligence organization built from scratch. However, that name right now seems to elude now as it had been structured with backing from the US and other NATO countries. Anyone knows, buzz me here.

Anyway, the Afghanistan arc's almost over. Should be nearing the end of the story soon. As always, read and review. And I don't need to teach you guys/gals how to do it, yeah? XP

Well, I've got an excuse for not posting it ASAP. Been watching lota new stuff, including Blassreiter and Toshokan Senso. Not to mention that I've been trying out the new Siren: New Translation demo I got recently for the Playstation 3. XD

And as to when the story of Sousuke and the other guys in the TDD-1 did prior to joining up with MITHRIL in Zanzibar Land (except Melissa for story reasons), that'll be done after I do a fic on TSR. However, that'll be done soon as I'm planning to do a major Code Geass fic and perhaps, Tenchi Muyo GXP if I have the time.


	17. No Place to Hide

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke and Gauron would've fought each other while trying to ensure that Gray and Bill would stay alive throughout the whole thing. Sousuke and Zaied would need to have a flashier battle scene when he and his Helmajistan buddies came by for the show.

Summary:

With problems rising for Bill's unit in Afghanistan, they take refuge from a cave used by Sousuke's ex-guerrilla unit from his Afghan days. But little does he know that one of his former allies is now working with Gauron in order to eliminate him and the other SRT operators while recovering the stolen Pioneer nuclear missile. Will Sousuke stand triumphant in this latest bout or will he finally rest in Afghanistan for good? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 17: No Place to Hide

Corridor, Unknown Ryokan Resort, somewhere in Japan

"It's nice that things are quiet right now."

Shinji, wearing a yukata, walked in one of the corridors of the ryokan while most of the girls including Kaname, Melissa and Kurz decided to either take it easy by relaxing in their rooms or simply head to bed.

_Though I can't believe that I'm mixing vacation time from school with my SRT duties to keep an eye on Kaname while Sousuke and Ronald were being deployed to Afghanistan, Sousuke's old stomping grounds from what I heard._

"Shinji-kun!"

Kyoko had called on Shinji from behind, running towards him in her own yukata. "There you are." She pushed the bridge of her glasses up. "I've been looking for you."

"And what about it?" Shinji felt his heart beating rapidly all of a sudden. _Dammit! Now's not a good time..._

"Umm..." Kyoko shuffled her feet on the ground, staring at them. "I was wondering what you did during the time Kaname was about to throw the home plate at Sousuke-kun's head..."

"Oh you mean that?" Shinji chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I guess that some sort of impulse thing I did."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Shinji nodded. "Just didn't want him to get hurt, I guess..."

* * *

Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke's Arbalest was placed in a prone position, armed with the Bofors ASG96-B smooth-bore gun while using its rocky terrain as a hiding place.

"The Falke'll stay behind at the camp with the others just as Lieutenant Bill mentioned in the plan, hopefully they can get through."

Aiming down at the mounted scope, Sousuke wondered if he can pull it off by sniping while staying at the ridge. "I'm not as good as Kurz when it comes to sniping, but hopefully I can pull this off." The ASG96-B's scope was able to pick up Gauron's Codarl leading a band of Afghan Army Rk-92U Savages towards his position.

AL announced to Sousuke on a transmission. **"Incoming radio transmission, Sergeant Sagara."**

**"Put it on, AL."**

**"Understood."**

**"Are you ready there?" **Bill was the first to speak on their frequency.

**"Roger." **Sousuke replied. **"Ready and waiting. From my position, I can shoot the enemy from up here."**

**"I don't like you Sagara." **Andy was the next to speak to him. **"Even if you're a kid and you're skillful as hell, you're still a punk."**

**"Andy!" **Ronald rebuked him. **"Watch it!"**

**"Is that all?" **Sousuke asked the Texan.

**"I'm saving a punch for you when we get back to base, so don't die until then."**

**"I can't promise you anything, but I will try."** Sousuke responded to Andy's threat with sarcasm. _Yeah, sure. Like I will get a punch from him..._

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1056 Codarl

Gauron came to observe his surroundings from the cockpit of his Codarl. _Kashim should be around here somewhere from the ridges ahead._

**"Say." **Gauron began to communicate to his AI. **"Can you see if external communication is possible?" **

**"Please wait one minute."**

Gauron sneered at the AI. **"Moron. Just do it in thirty seconds."**

**"Hey, Gauron." **Red Fox's voice came on his Codarl. **"You think that Zaied's plan will work? I mean, it could work but our friend may be able to find a way around it."**

**"Nah, don't you worry." **Gauron assured his mercenary colleague. **"Zaied and Kashim may know this place like the back of their hands, but Zaied's got better knowledge of the terrain."**

Red Fox sighed. **"All right, all right. I suppose I can't argue with that."**

The Afghan Civil War veteran smirked, reading the information available on his display. **"Most certainly my friend. In fact, we've got birds in the air ready to locate our pesky little bug."**

**"If that's the case, that means..."**

**"He has no place to hide from us."**

After a few seconds, Gauron heard the automated AI response to his previous orders.

**"External communication is now possible anytime."**

* * *

Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"WARNING: Multiple heat sources approaching rapidly from the rear!"**

_What the hell? It can't be... _Darting his eyes to the left, Sousuke spotted four Afghan Air Force Mil Mi-24D choppers in the air firing their Yakushev-Borzov gatling guns at the prone Arbalest before launching their S-24 rockets straight for the Arm Slave.

"Dammit!" Releasing the Oto Melara Boxer shotcannon from the Arbalest's rear hip mount and proceeded to fire at them while taking cover behind a huge rock which was sufficient enough to provide cover for the Arbalest.

**"AL, patch me to Uruz 11 at once!" **Sousuke peeked out from the rock while he aimed the Boxer's sights at the first Mil Mi-24D chopper that hovered in front of him.

**"Understood, Sergeant Sagara."**

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

**"When was the transmission made, Anna?" **Ronald had heard the transmission that he had received from Sousuke.

**"Approximately 4 minutes ago, Ronald." **The Falke's AI replied.

**"Ronald, is there something wrong?" **Gray contacted Ronald on their task force frequency.

**"Got a transmission from Sousuke." **Ronald checked the map of the area surrounding the cave. **"Said that enemy forces had ambushed him from the rear in a surprise move."**

**"That can't be right!" **Andy ranted off his anger. **"That guy said that he's familiar with the area around here."**

**"Only means one thing," **Ronald formulated a suggestion to Sousuke's radio contact with him. **"someone else knows about this area besides Gauron and he's working with him..."**

* * *

Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Gotcha!" Sousuke, in rapid succession, was able to gun down the last 2 Afghan Mi-24D choppers out of the sky after shooting them both by its tail section after sliding down from the original ridge that he used to another one with a big slab of rock that can cover him overhead.

_Dammit! _Staring at the ground below, Sousuke noted that the Codarl and the Savages were staring right at him. _Gauron must've intentionally had the Hinds after me so that he can determine my exact location._

**"Hello there, Kashim." **Sousuke gritted his teeth when he heard the voice of someone who he wished was already here. **"It's nice to see you around here. As much as I want to chat with you, I've got a job to do." **The Savages near the Codarl had their BK-540 rifles aimed at the Arbalest. **"So why don't you give us the courtesy of just dying?"**

**"All Savages!" **Sousuke heard Red Fox next after Gauron gave the threat. **"Fire on the white Arm Slave up on the ridge!"**

**"You two!" **Gauron spoke to Zaied and Red Fox via a secure channel to the two Shadows. **"Just make sure to keep our friend well accommodated." **The Codarl walked off towards the direction of the cave. **"I've got to entertain his other guests."**

**"Understood." **replied Red Fox, moving his Shadow in a crouching position with Zaied to watch the Savages maintain their fire on the Arbalest.

**"I'll take care of this since we're above Kashim." **Zaied had his Shadow manipulate the huge Gatling cannon on its cannon, aimed at Arbalest when it slid down the slope again.

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

The remaining active members of Bill's unit, excluding Batist as he had been wounded, positioned themselves near huge rocks that are enough to cover the front portion of the cave. Ronald was in his Falke, positioned next to Gray.

**"I hear automatic gunfire nearby." **Gray spoke to Ronald. **"I'm a bit worried about Sergeant Sagara. Ronald, can you check up on him?"**

**"I'll try." **Ronald replied before he directed his AI, Anna, to do so. **"But I'm not hoping for any miracles if Gauron's out there."**

* * *

Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Taking refuge in another ridge with a similar slab of rock giving him cover from overhead gunfire, Sousuke began to consider the options on what to do next.

_I'm attacked from behind? _Sousuke began to think about his situation carefully. _Who else is giving the orders? _

**"AL!" **Sousuke ordered his AI. **"Can communication be possible with Lieutenant Bill?"**

**"Data link enabled." **AL gave out the evaluation based on Sousuke's command. **"Unable to comply."**

**"Please try again. It's urgent." **Sousuke was then under a barrage of heavy automatic gunfire, below part of the slab he was using for protection broke up due to gunfire from the Savages on the valley ground. Cornered, his temporary safe haven was destroyed as he was sliding down.

Sousuke felt his cockpit violently shake as he had no control over the Arbalest's movements. **"Tuner and fixed band modes are out of order. Unable to communicate with friendly units."**

Despite this problem, Sousuke was then able to remember a _familiar _person who told him of the great vulnerabilities when using an Arm Slave.

* * *

_Kashim, when they can attack you from behind, that's when you die! Remember that._

* * *

Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

_Only one person could have said that... _

Sousuke helplessly watched as the Arbalest fell on the valley ground, with dust clouds formed after the Arm Slave fell down with a great impact that engulfed the vision of the Savages that surrounded it.

_Zaied._

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"It's official now." **Ronald sighed and told Gray and the other members of the task force of the grim news. **"I've got a report that I can't communicate in any way with Sousuke's Arbalest."**

**"You're kidding me, right?" **Jackson was a bit skeptical, but worried at the same time.

**"Afraid so." **Gray told her subordinate and colleague. **"Tried contacting him too myself, but no luck."**

**"That means we gotta hold out on the area until Sergeant Sagara can make it back and eliminate the enemies holding up." **Bill gave his opinion on the situation.

**"I'm not too sure about that one. This isn't something that I want to believe."**

_Batist. _Andy wondered what the old veteran was about to say. _Don't try to speak._

**"Sometimes," **Batist began to speak to his SRT comrades. **"God just wants to shuffle and deal in a card called Despair. Especially on the battlefield..."**

**"Batist." **Gray spoke to the wounded SRT operator. **"Wait, don't try to..."**

**"Gray." **Batist gritted his teeth for a minute. **"You said that you fought in Eastern Europe. So you must have witnessed this moment dozens of times. The moment when God calls up your number."**

Everyone in the SRT unit, especially Ronald, felt silent when they heard Batist standing up from the cab in the Minsk MA3-7906 artillery trucks.

**"I'm not saying that I need a rosewood coffin right away," **Batist inhaled and exhaled his breath due to the pain that he was feeling near his stomach.

**"But do you guys think you can find me a suitable one that I can use?"**

His comment was not answered as the entire task force was not able to figure out what Batist was talking about or whether he was making any sense.

* * *

Valley Floor, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"Damn! Sand filter's at the limit!" **One of the Afghan Savage pilots yelled in Pashto, not being able to move around due to the thickness of the dust clouds that kicked up after the Arbalest fell down from the ridge with several broken rocks that came down with it, effectively creating the artificial darkness that Sousuke needed as he dashed pass one of the Rk-92Us and stabbed its sand filter before stabbing its neck.

**"What the hell is that?" **Another Savage trained his Bk-540 on a massive dust cloud with another Savage near him.

**"Keep your guard up. We're only facing against one enemy..." **The Arbalest stealthly dashed behind the second Savage and stabbed its sand filter unit. In response, the Savage wildly fired his BK-540 in the air. The other remaining Savages assumed the sound of the BK-540 being fired was the Arbalest and fired their weapons on it.

**"Watch it! He's targeting all our sand filters. Once he gets to them , we can't do anything." **A third Savage turned around, once to see the green lit eyes of the Arbalest. The two grappled for a moment before the Arbalest stabbed its sand filter, forcing the Savage to be disabled.

* * *

Uppermost Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"Hey Zaied!" **Red Fox wiped the sweat of his forehead, hating it due to the pilot helmet that he had to wear. **"Those Afghan Army guys are getting butchered up on their own with some help from the Arbalest!"**

**"I know that." **Zaied replied. **"Keep your eyes open around the area. I'll go and give them the needed data since they can't see due to the dust clouds." **Zaied moved his Shadow down and fired the mounted Gatling cannon on its left arm. Before he completed his descent, he fired a burst to confused the Arbalest.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

_Wait a second! A Gatling cannon was used to attack me. _Sousuke observed his area, having been cleared of all Savage units before he heard a thumping sound. _And that's not good either. Someone else is on the ground besides me._

**"AL!" **Sousuke spoke to the Arbalest's AI. **"Someone's firing at us with a Gatling cannon. See if you can trace the source of the noise for the cannon's engine around the area."**

AL responded. **"Please wait one minute." **

_There's no time! The enemy could be attacking any minute. _**"AL! Do it in thirty seconds."**

**"Understood."**

Hearing the sounds of an AS walking closer and closer to the Arbalest, Sousuke drew out his Geotron Electronics GRAW-2 Monomolecular Cutter and moved to his right side to see the Gatling cannon's barrels aimed at the Arbalest's head.

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Damn..." Ronald mouthed off. "Been 10 minutes since I tried to make contact with Sousuke with no luck."

**"Enemy unit from within 50 kilometers of the camp!" **Anna informed him of Gauron's Codarl, which appeared in front of the SRT task force that camped in front of the cave.

_Bastard must've used ECS to conceal himself from us._

**"He's in front of us!" **Jackson yelled, seeing that Gauron appeared in front of them.

**"Execute the trap immediately!" **Gray ordered her M9E's AI to set up a trap in the form of explosives planted where Gauron stood when he materialized.

**"Did we get him?" **Bill asked, seeing that Gauron didn't move his Codarl in order to escape the explosives trap. **"He just didn't try to escape it."**

When the smoke dissipated, the entire SRT unit were surprised when they found that the Codarl was still intact, without showing any signs of damage anywhere on it.

"Didn't work. Sh-t!" Ronald cursed, seeing the Codarl was not destroyed. "But who am I to argue? He's got the Lamba Driver as I do." He manipulated his Falke's controls to get his IMI Crimson Edge monomolecular cutter drawn out from its hip and ready itself for melee combat.

**"He's still alive." **Gray gritted her teeth. **"The trap Bill and I set up didn't work!"**

**"Surprise, surprise, surprise..." **Gauron muttered on the Codarl's external speakers after he survived his brush with the explosives Bill and Gray had planted before Sousuke went off to the ridge to try and snipe down the Codarl.

**"Anna. Better get ready for melee combat." **Ronald gave out orders to his AI. **"Proceed to track down the unknown Arm Slave in front of us. It can also conceal itself with ECS, so keep an eye out for that."**

**"Understood, Ronald." **Ronald had his Dark Edge gripped tightly on the Falke's left hand, its blade pointed on the rocky ground while waiting for a good opportunity to strike Gauron down.

_What the? _Ronald saw that the Codarl had jumped to a great distance, already going for his direction. _Damn it! _

**"Never expected to see you here," **Ronald heard the Codarl, from its external speakers, before it clashed with the Falke when it drew out its IMI Crimson Edge monomolecular cutter, clashing blades with its Crimson Edge cousin. **"Al-Aziz. In fact, I'm really happy to see you after hearing about Kashim being alive and well back from North Korea."**

**"Why don't you ever die?" **Grunting hard despite having a bigger blade than Gauron's, Ronald had no choice but to give himself some space by pushing him away.

His monitor showed the next to worse thing that can happen.

Andy's M9E was charging towards the Codarl with its GRAW-2 at the ready to pounce on its target.

* * *

Valley Floor, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

_Dammit! _Sousuke saw that Zaied had the Gatling cannon aimed at him, as well as the BK-540s of the remaining Savages that survived the initial attack against him. Sousuke counted at least 5 were still operational.

**"Enemy equipment data based on enemy search mode completed." **AL was done analyzing all the Arm Slaves, especially Zaied's Shadow to determine the Gatling cannon that he was using.

_Alright. Hopefully, AL can tell me more on this Gatling-type weapon that the gray Arm Slave's using on me._

**"The weapon is identified as anti-Arm Slave weapon AK-87 Gatling. Has the ability to fire with a rate of 520 rounds per minute. Weapon is equipped with a large reserve magazine."**

_Magazine? _Sousuke gritted his teeth. _I remember that. It was in one of the missions before I went out to conduct a recon mission..._

* * *

_Kashim. A cautious soldier will be the one who survives in a battle. In any case, make sure to reserve your bullets in a reserve magazine when you can. It's the only way that you can win. Without it, you'll have little chance of winning any battle at all._

* * *

Valley Floor, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

_Does that mean... _Sousuuke's eyes were wide open, moments after he recalled the time Zaied spoke to him about being cautious in one of the campfires back in Afghanistan. _It can't be, but since the AK-87 has a reserve magazine due to its high rate of fire when used, then it means..._

Sousuke began to inhale and exhale when he realized who his enemy was in front of him, holding the AK-87 at the gray Shadow's hands

_I'm facing against Zaied._

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

**"Andy! Don't get any closer!" **Ronald warned the Texan on his radio as the Codarl had its hands in a hadoken stance only seen in the Street Fighter video games, only except that energy created from the Lamba Driver was used as the projectile instead of ki.

**"Gotcha!" **Ronald could just picture the smirk on Gauron's face as the Lamba Driver projectile went straight for Andy's M9E.

**"Andy!" **Gray hailed Andy on her radio this time. **"Ger clear! It's energy from the Lamba Driver..."**

It was almost next to too late. Andy had his M9E dodge to the left, but the Lamba Driver projectile went straight for its arm. The right arm and leg were taken out with minor damage sustained to its body. The attack made the M9E collapse, which would give Andy no chance to fight back.

**"Damn!" **Andy grunted, trying to escape from the fallen Arm Slave. **"I'm getting the hell out of here..."**

Gray and Bill gave Andy cover for him to slip back into the cave by firing their GEC-B rifles at the Codarl, even though its Lamba Driver barrier was raised to block the bullets from hitting him. It gave Ronald enough him for his Falke to engage the Codarl again in knife-to-knife combat once more when the Falke's Crimson Edge struck against the Dark Edge.

**"Jackson!" **Bill called out to his fellow African-American SRT colleague. **"Make sure to cover that trailer at all costs!"**

**"Understood!" **Jackson moved his M9E to cover near the trailer, firing his Boxer shotcannon at the Codarl in line of giving fire support to Ronald while he faced the Codarl as the two Arm Slaves fought each other with monomolecular cutters.

In the course of the fighting, Batist took advantage of his comrade's distraction by slipping out of the MA3-7906's cab.

* * *

Valley Floor, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke was in a standstill; not only were the surviving Afghan Army Savages were near him and armed, but Zaied's gray-colored Shadow aimed his AK-87 at the Arbalest's chest. On top of the ridges above him was a red-colored Shadow, which also had its AK-87 aimed at him too.

**"AL." **Sousuke spoke to his AI. **"I want to speak to the AS in front of me. Go and see if you can locate its frequency."**

**"Searching..." **AL searched for a few seconds before he came back with a reply. **"Error. No known frequency found."**

_Dammit! _Sousuke gritted his teeth. _So what do I do now? I'm trapped and I need to get back to the others immediately. Gauron must be attacking them since I can hear gunfire..._

**"Communication with other machines have been recovered. Now receiving messages from allied machines."**

**"All right, connect me."**

**"Understood."**

**"Sergant Sagara!" **Sousuke was stunned to hear Gray's voice. **"Do you read me?"**

**"G-Gray..." **Sousuke replied, being glad to hear that she was still alive and breathing.

**"Mate! We're fighting Gauron and right now," **Ronald replied next, grunting for an unknown reason. **"he's keeping our hands full!"**

**"Come here you... ERRAHHH!" **Sousuke heard Bill grunt as well before their line had been disconnected.

**"Communications have been abruptly halted. No reason determined."**

**"I..I'll be there." **_Dammit! I'm cornered and I better make the move first. _Sousuke moved the Arbalest to dash and thrust his GRAW-2 cutter at Zaied's Shadow. Zaied anticipated the move and sidestepped to his left, making the Arbalest fall flat on the ground.

"I'm not done yet!" Angry, Sousuke began to dash towards the nearest Savage. The other Savages and the Shadows fired their weapons at the seemingly fleeing Arbalest, except that he crouched behind the Savage after a gunshot from one of the Savage's BK-540s penetrated near the cockpit.

"Take this!" Sousuke took the dropped BK-540 and fired a few shots before he dashed off again towards the next Savage, in which Zaied's AK-87 and the other Savage's own BK-540s riddled the first one with multiple bullets before it exploded.

* * *

Uppermost Ridge, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Dammit! Like a damn rabbit!" Red Fox was frustrated at firing his own AK-87 at the other Savages as the Arbalest used it to maintain cover against Zaied and himself.

**"Zaied!" **Red Fox hailed Zaied on his radio. **"Any luck?"**

**"No." **Zaied replied. **"Kashim's moving fast. Awfully too fast." **Red Fox saw on his monitor Zaied's Shadow gunning down the last Savage after the Arbalest pushed it in front of him so as to give him some protection against his AK-87.

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Why you!" Jackson fired his Boxer shotcannon, only for Gauron to manipulate his Codarl to move close to him by doing ballet-like flips until he was in front of him. With the Dark Edge at the ready, the Codarl performed a horizontal slash at its torso area.

"Urgh!" Jackson grunted, feeling the brunt of the collapsed Arm Slave. He saw the hatch open to see the Codarl twirling its Dark Edge on its finger.

**"So long thief..." **Before the Codarl stabbed Jackson's M9E, multiple gunshots erupted from its rear. **"I hate it when I'm interrupted..." **The Lamba Driver barrier was raised him. The Falke also flipped close to the Codarl and executed a shoulder throw, which it successfully escaped from by doing a double backflip.

"Sh-t! Sh-t!" Jackson tried to manipulate his controls to close the hatch, only to feel someone remove the chest restraint and drag him out of his cockpit.

"What the?" The African-American with dreadlocks looked up to see that it was Batist who pulled him out of his cockpit. "Batist? What in the hell..."

"As long as you can curse that much..." Batist panted a bit after he pulled Jackson from his M9E. "you can still put up a fight. But listen, I'm just here to give you some support."

"Support..." Jackson was at a loss to hear what Batist said, despite the fact that he was still recovering from his injuries.

"Remember, you can't let anyone have that nuclear warhead. Understand?"

"Batist!" Andy came rushing out of the cave, armed with a Colt M4 assault rifle. "Just what the hell in tarnations are you doing?"

Batist didn't say anything except to draw out his Sig Pro SP 2009 pistol and fired a shot near Andy's feet before he aimed his sidearm at Jackson's feet. "Sorry you guys."

"Batist." Jackson tried to reason with his SRT colleague. "There's no reason for you to do this."

"I'm really sorry Jackson." Batist said, climbing into the downed M9E. "Let's leave it at that for now since I may not be able to repay you your 300 bucks."

* * *

Unknown Stream, somewhere in Afghanistan

_Come on! Come on!_

The Arbalest had been running towards Gray and the others, still fighting the Codarl, for 30 minutes now. Despite having the lead, the two Shadows were close to catch up with him.

Zaied was first in the lead, while being shot by the Arbalest's Boxer shotcannon to slow him down.

_Forgive me Kashim. I wanted to be in the winning team..._

When Zaied's Shadow was in front of him, Sousuke frantically fired his Boxer again. It only scratched a bit of its torso so far before Zaied had his Shadow strike the Arbalest with the AK-87's butt.

_Not bad, Kashim. _Zaied cooly eyed the Arbalest, seeing Red Fox's Shadow in its rear. _Your attacks are still effective as ever._

Sousuke moved into cover using the giant rocks in the stream as cover while Zaied and Red Shadow moved in to pin down their enemy with gunfire from their AK-87s.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

**"Communications have been restored." **AL hailed Sousuke, telling him that normal communications with Bill's unit were normal.

**"Connect me at once, AL."**

**"Understood."**

**"Batist!" **Bill was heard on the Arbalest' radios. **"I'm ordering you to stand down..."**

**"You're injured!" **Gray backed up Bill, telling Batist to stand down.

* * *

Cab, Minsk MA3-7906 Artillery Truck

Jackson was in the Soviet-made artillery truck in the driver's seat. Andy accompanied him on the passenger seat, his M4 in his lap.

**"Do you guys want to know why God deals such a terrible card?" **Batist had Jackson's M9E walk towards the Codarl, right in front of Andy and Jackson. **"It's because God created idiots called humans and he's regretting it ever since."**

**"Batist..." **Ronald was the first to speak with him. **"What are you..." **Standing on the sidelines, he watched Batist already standing a few feet away from the Codarl.

**"Hey partner..." **Batist chuckled. **"You better tell your buddy Sagara when he gets back that he'll be one heck of a good soldier, not to mention you as well in the near future. Just like the way I heard from Big Boss."**

**"Batist!" **Gray shouted, her voice seemingly filled with sadness.

**"Hey Batist!" **Ronald was desperate in speaking to the wounded man. **"There's no need to do this!"**

* * *

Cockpit, Jackson's M9E

**"SDM stanby!" **Batist spoke to the M9E's AI, activating its self-destruct mechanism.

**"Warning. Once the self-destruct mechanism is set, it cannot be canceled. Do you wish to proceed?"**

**"I accept. Start the sequence."**

**"This is the last confirmation. Do you accept?"**

_Stupid AI? Can't accept it at least once? _**"I do accept! Start the sequence!"**

**"Roger. Please set the time for the execute for self-destruction."**

**"Do it in ten seconds."**

**"Roger. Setting time for ten seconds. All passengers should evacuate immediately."**

**"Counting down. Nine."**

Batist slowly walked towards the Codarl.

**"Eight."**

For an unknown reason, the Codarl stood still.

**"Seven."**

Likewise, the Codarl didn't raise a weapon at the M9E.

**"Six."**

"So the bastard decided to see me off? This should be fun."

**"Five."**

**"Batist! As your commanding officer, I'm ordering you to stand down!"**

**"Four."**

"Let's get it on!"

**"Three."**

Batist was close on his prey. He moved in for the kill.

**"Two." **

Outstretching the M9E's arms, it went forward and lunged at the Codarl.

**"One." **

The Codarl grabbed Batist's hijacked M9E on its shoulder and had its left hand began to generate Lamba Driver energy.

**"Zero." **

**"No chance in hell, fool!" **Having the Codarl's left arm stretched out, the energy shot out of its hand and straight into the cockpit after it leaped out of its way.

**"Hrahh!" **Batist yelled after Lamba Driver energy penetrated its cockpit.

The last thing he saw that both purple and white colors mingling with each other before an explosion came forth, killing the gray-haired mercenary for good.

* * *

Cab, Minsk MA3-7906 Artillery Truck

"Jackson!" Andy yelled, getting his M4 ready. "Step on it!"

Jackson stepped hard on the MA3-7906's accelerator. But out of nowhere, the Codarl seemingly fell from the sky and stabbed the truck's cab. The resulting attack forced the truck to crash after Jackson steered a bit hard on the left, forcing the vehicle to be flipped on its left side.

* * *

Unknown Stream, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke had the Arbalest run for a certain distance before he and the two Shadows faced each other like in the Western movies where two cowboys would face the other before they would grab their revolvers from their holsters and fire them, except for the fact that the Arm Slaves had their weapons aimed, already bent on getting the first shot.

_Not sure about this, but here goes! _The Arbalest charged towards the two Shadows with its arms protecting its head and torso regions. Zaied and Red Fox fired their AK-87s at it, the Arbalest not fully protecting itself with the Lamba Driver being activated. The Arbalest lunged at the Shadows with a single shot from its Boxer shotcannon at their torsos, but were only able to scratch them. Zaied sidestepped to its right while Red Fox kicked its torso and shin, forcing it on the ground.

_Ungh! I got hit! _Sousuke felt the brunt again of being on the ground, this time being faced with the barrels of the AK-87 held by two Shadows.

_The situation's not looking too good..._

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Damn! It's just us three versus him!" Gray was beginning to panic, seeing the Codarl defeat Batist's attempt to commit suicide by using Jackson's M9E to self-destruct when he shot a Lamba Driver energy projectile at it while leaping into the air and disabling the hijacked MA3-7906.

**"I'll teach you three not to mess with the merchandise..." **The three surviving SRT operators saw the Codarl twirl its Dark Edge on its finger. **"Cause this businessman's getting really mad here!"**

**"Why don't you shut your mouth?" **Bill lunged at him, GRAW-2 at the ready when the Codarl slashed its torso.

**"Feh." **Gauron grinned, watching Bill's M9E drop on the ground. **"That'll teach you..."**

**"Gray! What are you doing?" **Ronald saw Gray fire all her remaining ammunition towards the Codarl. The Codarl merely responded to the threat by having its Lamba Driver barrier activated again, making the shots useless.

"Take this!" Gray drew out her GRAW-2 cutter and tried to take a slash at it. The Codarl caught its right hand, which held the AS' combat knife, and crushed it.

**"Gauron!" **Now furious for the casualties that took place, Ronald had the Falke make a mad dash for the Codarl before he could harm Gray. **"I'll be the one to kill you!"**

**"Damn bugger!" **Catching the GRAW-2 from Gray's M9E, the Codarl pushed it away before he tossed it towards the rushing Falke.

**"Hah!" **The Falke's Crimson Edge swinged horizontally, deflecting the tossed blade away from him.

**"Now you're really starting to annoy the businessman, you little prick!" **The Codarl dashed at the Falke and began to exchange blows by punching him and kicking him widly.

**"Sometimes you just gotta accept failures! That's how the real world works after all!" **Ronald did a double backflip and armed himself with the Mauser MGK rifle to fire off a single 50 mm grenade at the Codarl, only for it to dodge by swiftly moving around and leaping at the same time.

* * *

Unknown Stream, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Man, I can't believe we won already."

Red Fox smirked, having the Shadow's left foot on the Arbalest's cockpit.

"I'm sorry Kashim." Zaied stared at the downed Arbalest with no emotion in his face. "You'll understand that this is how it happens after all..."

**"Sousuke!" **Sousuke heard Ronald speaking, feeling tired. **"I'm not sure how long I can hold on against this guy. Gray and Bill are down and now it's just me and him. Batist wanted to say that you'd make a perfect professional soldier."**

_No! _Sousuke manipulated the controls to have the Arbalest eject the Royal Ordnance M1108 anti-tank dagger from its armpit compartment and dashed at Red Fox's Shadow after he fired his AK-87 at the downed Arbalest. In response, the Arbalest spinned around for the stream water to distract the two Soviet-made Arm Slaves before Sousuke moved in for the kill.

"Hey! Who said you can stand up..." Red Fox didn't have time to react after the Arbalest attacked it first with the M1108 tossed at the torso after the Arbalest immediately stood on its feet, wounding the Singaporean mercenary and already incapacitating his Shadow unit despite being able to instinctively get out of it way. It collapsed, facing on the stream face first.

**"Zaied..." **The scarred Amalgam mercenary heard his partner groan.

**"I'll get him..." **Zaied was about to use the monomolecular cutter mounted on its left arm when the Arbalest came up to Zaeid's Shadow and stabbed its torso at the center with its GRAW-2 cutter already drawn out from its sheath.

"I'm sorry Zaied." Sousuke sighed, making sure that his GRAW-2 was driven a bit more into the gray Shadow's torso with oil emerging out of the its opening. "But I had to do it."

Sousuke moved towards the direction of the cave, moments after he dropped Zaied's disabled Shadow on the stream, already having thoughts on whether his comrades were still dead or alive.

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke arrived at the outskirts of the cave. What he saw was beyond horror.

Pieces of an M9E blown up were in pieces, with some blood and human tissue on the side. The MA3-7906, already flipped on the side, had blood oozing out of the cab. Gray and Bill's M9E units were on the ground , the former incapacitated with the latter not being able to move since Gauron had the Codarl slashed its left leg after he pushed it away to prevent her from escaping. Gray was desperately trying to get her M9E to stand up.

The only thing remaining was the Codarl trying to strangle the disarmed Falke when it lifted Ronald's AS a bit from the ground, its Crimson Edge dropped on the ground.

**"Nice of you to join me and Al-Aziz here, Kashim..." **Sousuke heard Gauron's greeting.

_Al-Aziz? Is that Ronald? It has to be. _Sousuke carefully eyed the Codarl, which already picked up the dropped Crimson Edge.

**"Gauron!" **Sousuke was now beyond furious. He was dead furious. Furious that the man who he calls his enemy had disable half of the task force sent to assassinate him and he was in front of him ready to kill off one of its survivors.

**"Aren't you getting the nuclear warhead?" **Gauron said, using its right hand to point to the warhead near the M9E wreck. **"It's right over there."**

**"I'd rather kill you first, you bastard." **At Sousuke's words, Ronald began to have the Falke crush its left arm in order to budge himself from its grip.

**"Really?" **Gauron, with a wicked smile, tossed Ronald while he prepared to activate its Lamba Driver.

_Where's my Crimson Edge? _Ronald too began to manipulate the Falke's controls to have its Lamba Driver. **"Anna, activate the Lamba Driver. And get it into full force. I want the bastard with the ponytail to have it."**

**"Understood." **The Falke AI replied after. **"Give him hell!"**

**"Ready to come at me too, Al-Aziz?"**

**"Die, Gauron!"**

**"I almost that you were joining in the fight, Kashim!"**

**"Shut it and prepare to feel some hell!"**

**"Already on it, Al-Aziz!"**

**"Have at this!" **The Falke dashed on Gauron from its back with Sousuke from its front. For once, the international terrorist felt his days were numbered. But for some reason, he felt satisfied.

**"My, my!" **Gauron began to laugh. **"I'd like you two to show me how I should die!" **He had the Codarl use both the digits on both of its hands to outstretch its thumb and index fingers, the latter already been charged with Lamba Driver energy of its own and aimed at his adversaries.

**"HRAAHHHHHHHH!" **Sousuke and Ronald both yelled with a loud cry, having the left fists of their Arm Slaves filled with Lamba Driver energy before they attacked him from both sides.

* * *

Cockpit, Gray's M9E

The last thing before Gray fainted from exhaustion was a sheer bright light emitted from the three Arm Slaves that had their respective Lamba Drivers operational. It mostly had a white light with some blue, purple and orange it it before the glowing light engulfed all three machines.

**"What the hell's going on?" **Bill grunted, seeing the light stretched itself from a dome shape before it turned into a pillar followed by a subsequent explosion.

All of this occurred while in the watchful eyes of a lone eagle, seeing the light from its own eyes.

* * *

Training Grounds, Special Services Group Headquarters, Cherat, Pakistan

"Quite excellent."

Liquid Snake stood by with Black Arts Viper and Vulcan Raven, the three men observing the finest of the Pakistani Army's SSG going through an obstacle course as part of their usual training. The three FOXHOUND had been in Pakistan to cross-train with Pakistani special forces as well as to look for potential recruits to joining FOXHOUND. It had seem apparent that it was for the latter for the day since before their arrival, the entire SSG had been debriefed to give it their all during the trio's visit to Cherat so as to impress them of their abilities.

"I think they're quite good." Viper commented to Liquid in soft whispering, watching some SSG commandos crawl under barb wire. "We can use them for the group's infantry forces."

"The raven speaks of it as well." Raven said in a prophetic-like voice, raising an eyebrow from the sneaking suit-clad FOXHOUND operator.

"It seems that you think highly of your opinion, my friend."

Raven faced Viper. "The raven speaks of the truth, Viper."

"Liquid!"

Ocelot came running towards Liquid, wearing his usual trenchcoat and cowboy boots with spurs. "We've got some news."

"Oh?" Liquid faced the mustached Soviet FOXHOUND agent. "And what is this news?"

"We've got reports from the NSA that some kind of light was reported in Afghanistan."

Liquid smirked upon hearing the news. "Anything else?"

"Nothing much. Just that the light turned into an explosion, heard all the way to the outskirts of Kabul."

Viper faced Ocelot, seemingly ready for a mission when he flexed his arms. "Orders?"

"I don't think they're a need for that." Ocelot replied. "American spy satellites did observe it for a short time before the light dissipated. CIA spies from the US Embassy in Kabul are going to be assigned to check it out."

"Dang." Viper snapped his fingers. "I was hoping that we'd go for a mission."

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Gray and Bill emerged out of their Arm Slaves, with the Arbalest and Falke slowly kneeling on the ground. The area surrounding them took a crater-like shape, due to the force of three Lamba Drivers coming into contact with each other.

"Looks like Gauron's machine's gone." Bill commented, eyeing the area. "Can't seem to see it."

"Wait!" Gray pointed to the approaching Shadow, which belonged to Zaied.

"What the?" Bill gasped, seeing that it was still moving despite having oil leak out of its torso.

"Zaied?" Sousuke gasped too, even though he remembered stabbing it with its GRAW-2. "It can't be. I remember stabbing him with my GRAW-2 on the torso."

"Just to be sure!" Ronald immediately grabbed his MGK rifle from its hip hardpoint and went for a shot when he fired a short burst from it into the Shadow's head before he replaced it and dashed at it. "And this is to ensure you stay down!" Ronald had the Crimson Edge taken from the ground and slashed its torso with the cutter's chainsaw chain on its blade running before it disabled the Arm Slave again, holding the weapon similar to being a samurai with his katana being drawn out and used when he slashed his enemy on their chest or waist.

This time, the Shadow fell down on its back. It never used its AK-87 again.

* * *

Cockpit, Red Fox's Zy-98 Shadow

"Urgh! What happened?"

Coming out of unconsciousness, the Red Fox checked his machine to see if it was operational. The monitor showed that there was slight damage in the torso, still laid down face flat on the running stream.

"Great. Just great." Suddenly, the Arm Slave's AI informed me on an incoming message.

**"Incoming message from an unknown source."**

**"Put it on."**

The frequency had been silent for 4 minutes without anyone speaking to it. Red Fox was about to speak to its AI and tell it to turn off its radio when he heard someone speak.

**"It's me..."**

* * *

Outskirts of Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Glad to see you're all right." Gray and Bill walked towards the Falke, which went on its hands and knees for Ronald to disembark.

"Nothing much." Ronald came down from the Falke, feeling tired. "Just another day I guess." Behind the masked SRT operator, some white smoke continued to emit from the circular lines that traced the crater-like area.

"Where's Sergeant Sagara?" Bill asked, not seeing the Arbalest pilot around.

"Probably went to check on the gray Arm Slave I took care of." Ronald pointed to his back with his right thumb in a hitchhiker's thumb. "I'll go and see him."

* * *

Zaied's Zy-98 Shadow remains, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Look at this." Sousuke motioned Ronald towards the opened hatch of the downed Shadow.

"I can't believe it." Ronald whispered, peering inside the Shadow's hatch to see the dead Zaied inside. "It is Zaied. But why's he working with Gauron?"

"With him dead," Sousuke thought of an answer. "I guess the reason why he did is taken to his grave."

"But the only time that he went missing was during one of the earlier missions of the Zanzibar Land foreign legion corps after independence in 1995." Ronald removed Zaied from the Shadow's cockpit when he took his arms off the arm ports. Sousuke assisted him in getting his corpse out.

"I know." Sousuke couldn't help, but feel disgusted when he saw the smile on Zaied's face, despite having blood on most of his face. _God, I can't believe it. I never realized that the worst enemy who you can face in the battlefield would turn out to be your best friend. Especially if he sticked with you during the days in Afghanistan._

"What do we do with him?" Ronald knelt next to the corpse and placed his left index and middle fingers on his neck to check for pulse. "I mean, he's already dead."

"I'm aware of that." Sousuke glared at the masked SRT operator.

The two were silent, staring at either the wrecked Shadow or Zaied's corpse. It stayed that way until Sousuke spoke on his reply.

"Let's bury him."

* * *

Near Bill and Gray's M9Es, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"So what now?" Gray asked Bill, checking on their M9Es.

"My Arm Slave can still move." Bill spoke to his second-in-command. "But I'm not sure about yours. Gauron did stab it right?"

The ex-East European guerrilla nodded. "I checked the systems and it can still move, though it can't run since the cutter stabbed some wires that facilitated that ability."

Bill sighed, remembering the deaths of Batist and perhaps Andy and Jackson. "I can't believe that we're the only ones alive in our unit besides Ronald and Sergeant Sagara."

"Hey you guys!"

Bill and Gray turned their heads towards the MA3-7906 wreck to see a familiar face walking towards them, partially wounded in his torso.

"I'm not dead yet, if that's what you're thinking of right now!"

* * *

Unmarked Grave, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

Sousuke and Ronald stood before a mound with a white flag planted on top of it, shovels in their hands.

"Never knew that your ex-guerrilla base had shovels in them?" Ronald panted, feeling tired from burying Zaied after having a long fight with Gauron and using his Falke's Lamba Driver to fight his Codarl.

"We had them just for burying my comrades after a fight with Soviet and DRA forces." Sousuke looked at the mound with a sad expression. He felt bad that he had to fight his ex-friend, but it made him feel worse that Sousuke had to kill him since he was on Gauron's side.

"Come on." Ronald's left hand clasped Sousuke's right shoulder. "We better go back and see the others."

* * *

Near Bill and Gray's M9Es, near Unknown Cave, somewhere in Afghanistan

"Glad to see you two made it." Bill was for once glad to see Sousuke and Ronald still alive and kicking after they buried Zaied in an unmarked grave.

"Hey Sagara!"

Sousuke was alerted when he heard a familiar voice.

"Think fast!"

And it sounded Texan by the accent.

"Sousuke, look out!"

Sousuke, seeing the incoming fist of Andy, immediately went to counter by quickly sidestepping to his left. Grabbing Andy's right arm tightly, Sousuke then ensured that he had a firm grip on the Texan's wrist before he executed a supinating wristlock maneuver followed by a forearm return throw.

"Agh!" Andy was thrown when he was slammed on the ground, still on a supinating wristlock that Sousuke had used against him. "Okay, okay!" Andy yelled in pain when he felt his right wrist still being twisted with his nerve senses feeling its muscles were being twisted to the point of being torn. "I give, I give!"

"That's enough, Sergeant Sagara." Gray ordered the ex-guerrilla to remove his wristlock from Andy's wrist. "That's an order. I think Andy's had enough."

"Understood." Sousuke nodded. With that, he removed himself from the pinned Indian Ocean SRT operator.

"Thanks." Andy thanked Gray, shaking his right wrist to remove the pain. "Ah, that hits the spot."

"We better go and make contact with base to get our ASes and the nuclear warhead out of this country." Bill spoke to the survivors. "We can't stay in the area for long since the Afghan Army might come here and send some troops on us."

"I'll do it." Gray said, climbing into her M9E as it was on its hands and knees like Bill's AS. "My radio's still working anyway."

* * *

While five Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare took off from the outskirts of the cave after they were cloaked in ECS, two Afghan Army Mil Mi-24D choppers arrived in the same with a cargo of 37th and 38th Commando Battalion soldiers. All of them were heavily armed with either IZHMASH AK-74S or AK-74SU assault rifles and had worn their usual black berets and Soviet-supplied desert TTsKO BDUs.

Landing on the very same place where Gauron faced off against Ronald and Sousuke, the two helicopter gunships deployed 37th and 38th CB soldiers to secure the area and search for any signs of life. Their efforts were only made useless that despite finding a guerrilla base, they were not able to find anything of good use for intelligence as the supplies were either used or were diverted to another guerrilla base.

Aside from blown scrap heaps of Jackson's former M9E and a wrecked MA3-7906 with blood inside the cab, there was nothing that the Soviet-trained commandos can do except to secure the area and make a safe withdrawal before anti-government guerrillas would come nearby and ambush them as their flying machines. Any of their cells in the area would definitely want to take them out while the Mil Mi-24Ds were still not airborne yet.

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules

Sousuke was now sleeping inside the C-130H's cargo section after it took off from the Indian Ocean Fleet's Salomon Islands base as their first arrival from Afghanistan with his seat buckles on his chest and lap in order to ensure that he does not fall off his sleep in case the plane encounters turbulence. Ronald, on the other hand, eyed the Arbalest and Falke inside the transport plane's belly secured with restraints that were tightly secured to ensure that they wouldn't move around the plane for the same reason that Sousuke had his seat buckles on.

_It sure is nice to be going back to Merida._ The Whispered SRT operator noted how the Arbalest and Falke were safely tucked in the C-130H's cargo section, like sleeping babies. Ronald yawned under his balaclava before he stretched his legs and arms from his seat. _When I get back to the island in the evening, first thing I wanna do is to get some sleep right away._

Since the aircraft was over Thai airspace after being airborne for 4 hours, it would take approximately 2-3 more hours before their plane would land in Merida Island safe and sound again.

* * *

Corridor, Merida Island

"I heard he arrived back in the island with Sergeant Sagara." Tessa was walking fast ever since she got the intercom message from her office that their C-130H had arrived in the island's hangar. The ponytailed girl had passed instructions to Kalinin and specifically told the Soviet MITHRIL officer to allow Sousuke and Ronald to debrief her, Kalinin and Mardukas tomorrow as they had been tired from their flight after leaving the Indian Ocean Fleet's Salomon Islands base.

"Ronald's room should be here." Taking a left from the corridor that had the quarters of the base's commissioned officers, Tessa went to search for Ronald's room by carefully checking the names on the doors before she was sure of where she was going.

"I hope he's up." Tessa raised her left hand and rapped her knuckles on the door just loud enough for Ronald to hear her.

* * *

Living Area, Ronald's Quarters, Merida Island

"Captain." Ronald was ready to salute, but Tessa shook her head. She noted that he was already in his pajamas. _In his pajamas now? That's a bit odd, I mean I haven't heard of any of the other MITHRIL personnel who wore pajamas before going to bed._

"Alright." Ronald nodded before he stifled a yawn. "I'm getting tired anyway and I was about to turn in moments after I arrived."

"Oh." Tessa covered her mouth, feeling that she was wrong in going all the way to see Ronald. "I'm sorry..."

"No." It was Ronald's turn to shake his head. "Come in." He showed Tessa in. "Since you're already here, it's not right for me to turn you away."

"Thank you." Tessa noted that Ronald's room had been a refurbished room that belonged to one of the base's ex-commissioned officers. _I guess the room was refurbished and modernized._

"What can I do for you today, captain?" Ronald showed Tessa the sunken portion of the room, where the sofas and a chaise lounge were placed on the sunken floor.

"I came here to see you." Tessa said when she took her seat on the sofa. "I was wondering how were you feeling on the mission back in Afghanistan."

"To be honest," Ronald went for the chaise lounge and laid down on it. "I'm not really sure."

_Not sure. _Tessa stared at Ronald, who was staring at the ceiling. _What does he mean?_

Ronald sighed and closed his eyes. "When I got back to my old stomping grounds in the Salomon Islands, I met my loudmouth comrades who didn't see me as an equal despite what I've been through in Zanzibar Land." Ronald sighed even more, which Tessa took as his frustration.

"Hmmm...wha?" Ronald felt his head was propped on Tessa's lap. "What are you.." Ronald stared at Tessa, now that his head was on her lap.

"It's all right." The Chinese-Filipino didn't know what to do when Tessa spoke to him, but Ronald felt relaxed with Tessa stroking his hair and chest.

"Where was I?" Ronald tried to recall the things he went through in Afghanistan. "And when I got to Afghanistan, I fought with Sousuke against someone who we never expected to be our enemy." Tessa felt tense at his words, but continued to comfort him.

"His name was Zaied. We fought with him during our days in Zanzibar Land before he disappeared. Even right now, Sousuke's a bit confused on why Zaied was on Gauron's side."

"I..." Ronald felt tears emerging from his closed eyes. "Damn it. Andy, Jackson, Batist." Tessa heard the names of the Indian Ocean Fleet SRT task force Sousuke and Ronald were deployed with. "Even though there a bunch of asses, I don't know why I felt that none of them deserved to be killed, except Andy being wounded. I mean, they didn't see me as one of them."

"Hey..." Tessa felt that Ronald spoke enough about his Afghanistan ordeal. "That's enough Ronnie." said the TDD-1 commander, talking to him by the nickname that she called him when they were MITHRIL officer candidates.

"And then Zaied comes and tries to kill us. I just don't know what I've done to deserve all this crap in the first place! I didn't even want this." Ronald's voice was getting louder and louder, but he was only lucky that his room was soundproofed.

"Shhh..." cooed Tessa, cradling Ronald's head on her lap. "Say no more. Just sleep it off, okay? Please?" She rubbed her right thumb on his forehead and her left thumb on his chest.

_I don't know. But everytime I see the sadness in Tessa's face, I... couldn't say no._

As Ronald closed his eyes and went to sleep, Tessa left the chaise lounge and went to the closet to grab a folded cotton blanket.

"I hope you can get through this." Tessa unfolded the blanket and placed it over his figure before she gently lifted Ronald's head and placed one of the pillows below it.

Tessa knelt next to a now sleeping Ronald and carefully studied his sleeping face. "Just... promise me that you'll be strong, okay?" Tessa ran her right hand over his black hair while she whispered. "I can't bear the day that you might be taken away from me." She leaned in and softly kissed his right temple when she felt a teardrop from her right eye.

_Why am I crying? _Tessa hastily wiped it off before she went off to leave her subordinate's room.

_Good night Ronnie. _Closing the switch of the living room, Tessa opened the main door and eyed the sleeping figure for the last time before she would go to her quarters and turn it for the night. _I'll be here for you._

The door to Ronald's quarters were softly closed, which was done by Tessa to ensure that Ronald was not disturbed from his sleep.

Chapter 17 END

PS - Guess where the chapter title is from! XD

As to the meaning of Ryokan, it's a traditional Japanese inn. Never been to one when I visited Japan since I stayed in the Akasaka Prince Hotel. Hmm... maybe one day I'll wear a yukata. XP

For the Special Services Group mentioned here, Pakistan also has an SFG in the same name. Only exception is that it's for the Navy. For this chapter, I'm referring to the SSG in the Pakistani army.

As per usual, review when you're doing reading it. I accept positive or negative, though the latter would be if they're to help me polish up further my writing skills despite writing stuff for 5 years now. Personal flames attacking me or the story will be extinguished on site.

I'll try and get FOXHOUND involved when MITHRIL's Western Pacific forces conduct their raid on Berildaobu island in Perio. Besides, I got some interesting for them versus the surviving Outer Heaven/Zanzibar Land mercs turned Amalgam-hired henchmen.

I did a partial Tessa/Ronald shipping again for this part. For emphasis' sake, let me remind you guys that I'm not good with romance and romance-like stuff. But that won't stop me from doing it if I feel that it's an integral part of the story in my fanfics. Well, I'll try to get some Sousuke/Kaname in for the next chapter with some Tessa/Ronald. I just hoped that I handled the two Whispered well. XD

Anyway, I uploaded the story on Mother's Day. So to all readers who are mothers of all types, happy mother's days to all of you. Also, greet your mothers and tell them how much you appreciate the things that they did for you because there may not be another chance for you guys (including me of course) to tell our moms how much we thank them for the work they do.

Allow me to give you readers a rundown on what series were crossed with the Full Metal Panic-based fic so far:

Metal Gear (excluding MGS3 and Portable Ops for obvious reasons) - Main series, Ghost Babel, Drama CD series

Spy Fiction - PS2 game in its entirety with some changes

Tom Clancy franchise - Rainbow Six series up to Rogue Spear (including Korea-only game Takedown: Missions in Korea), partial use of Splinter Cell series (With ARGUS Corporation appearance)


	18. Meetings and Encounters

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. The appearance of Cole Sterling aka Bushmaster is under Gray Wolf4's jurisdiction. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke would've used the Lamba Driver to kick Gauron's major ass and made sure that Melissa wouldn't be wounded during the Perio operation. Not to mention that Sousuke wouldn't shout at Kaname and get his butt kicked by Kurz.

Summary:

Both Sousuke and Ronald, together with the remaining survivors of the Indian Ocean Fleet SRT task force, were able to turn the tables against Gauron and defeat him in Afghanistan. The two mercenaries found out that Zaied, an old ex-mercenary comrade of theirs missing from their days of fighting in the Zanzibar Land Independence Wars of the 1990s, had been a willing collaborator for Gauron ever since he left their company. Can the two survive on to figure out Gauron's intentions towards MITHRIL? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 18: Meetings and Encounters

Somewhere near Main Entrance, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Man, am I tired or what..."

Shinji, decked in his white shirt and blue jogging pants, took a seat in one of the benches with a plastic water bottle. He tugged a bit on his shirt, wondered if his PE uniform had gotten dirty aside from feeling the heat of the summer.

_At least this beats going to constant missions back in the TDD-1. _He turned his head to the side and saw that Ronald was staring at the structure that consisted of two metallic towers connected by a steel beam. _But I don't know if I want to get back to either Merida or the TDD-1 since they both have good air conditioning._

_Wonder what he's thinking... _Shinji decided not to bother with his friend and instead, open the bottle's cap in order to savor its contents and quench his thirst.

* * *

_"Dammit! The Soviets are coming! Cover the approach of the main Zanzibarian force!"  
_

_Ronald, wearing an unknown type of desert camouflage and beret with a balaclava worn over his head, was armed with a Canadian Arsenal Ltd. C1A1D battle rifle. He fired his weapon from a nearby ridge, the equivalent of four stories above ground, with other foreign Zanzibar Land mercenaries to give support to some infantry battalions from the newly created Zanzibar Army against a seemingly Soviet-led force._

_"Take this!" Using the strategic height of his location to conduct an ambush against Soviet Spetsnaz special forces traveling on a convoy, Ronald flicked the selector switch of his C1A1D to fire on full automatic. _

_"Look out! A MiG's coming!" One of the mercenaries had yelled to his colleagues to get out of the way, but it was too late when a Sukhoi Su-25K close air support aircraft flew towards the mercenary's position and dropped two RBK-250 cluster bombs on their targets._

_Ronald took cover, but only moments after realizing that the first cluster bomb didn't land anywhere near him. "Crap! Cluster bombs!"_

_After the second one had been dropped, the escalation of gunfire between the mercenaries and the surviving Spetsnaz commandos continued to increase. _

_"I need some help!"_

_Hearing the cries of a wounded mercenary, Ronald rushed to the source of his voice. He had been already attended to by some familiar faces._

_"Shinji." Ronald greeted the Japanese mercenary, having slinged his C1A1D. "Need help?"_

_"Not sure." Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "Sousuke and Kurz are on him. They're trying to check if the man's okay."_

_"He should be fine for now." Sousuke grunted, applying pressure on the wounds on the unknown mercenary's left leg as he was now unconscious as Kurz was using a piece of cloth to halt the bleeding from the wounded man's leg . "He got grazed by the cluster bombs, but we'll need medical attention on him."_

_"So what was the aircraft?" Kurz asked Ronald, himself armed with a Walther WA2000 bullpup sniper rifle. He used his left arm to wipe the sweat off his forehead, feeling the heat in the middle of the Zanzibarian summer for July. "Dang heat."  
_

_"North Korean." Ronald replied. "I saw the red and blue star roundel on the Su-25 that attacked our position a few minutes ago..."_

_"Oy, Ronald-kun!"_

_Ronald turned around in an instant and unslinged his C1AD rifle on his target when he froze. "Kaname-san? What are you doing in Zanzibar, of all places?"_

_He merely received a beating when Kaname whacked his head with a rolled-up piece of paper._

* * *

Somewhere near Main Entrance, Jindai High School, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

"Baka!" Kaname had been furious when she found out that Ronald was not responding to her calls for him despite being in front of him. "Quit sleeping!"

"Ow!" Ronald nursed his head. "Kaname-san?" _What the? I was back in '96 during the war and Kaname shows up? Must be a nightmare._

Kaname sighed and placed her left hand on her hip since her right hand held the rolled-up paper. "I've been trying to get your attention for 2 minutes, you know."

"Sorry." Ronald yawned. "I slept a bit late last night."

"Well, that's fine." Kaname accepted his reason. "It's not like we're going to do anything aside from that." Shinji and Ronald saw that she glared at the structure that Sousuke had set up in front of the school.

"But I think Sousuke's trying to place something else for a change." Ronald tried his reasoning with Kaname. "Isn't that right, Shinji?"

Shinji appears to agree with Ronald and nods. "Yeah, yeah. That's right."

Kaname shouted at the two mercenaries/students, her head seemingly got big all of a sudden that resembled a mad Soun Tendo. "What? You two bakas don't mind that guy wasting our summer funds for that thing? Are you two on his side or something?"

"Uh..." Ronald felt sweat trickling down his forehead. "Forget I said anything, Kaname."

Kaname smirked, her head size back to normal. "There we go. That's more like it."

"By the way," Ronald snapped his left index and thumb fingers. "what's this stuff that I heard about you and Sousuke getting together? Is that a date?"

"Yeah." Shinji adjusted his glasses. "I'd like to hear about that too."

Kaname began to feel tense, feeling embarrassed about when Sousuke asked her out in front of her classmates with her cheeks turning red. _Taku! Why do these guys have to ask about it?_

"Not now please!" Kaname ran away from them, heading back towards the main building.

"What was that about?" Shinji asked Ronald.

Ronald shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't forget." Shinji whispered to Ronald. "We have to leave ahead of Sousuke towards the rendezvous point."

"You mean..."

"Yeah, your place..."

* * *

Roof, Maison K Safehouse, somewhere in Chofu, Tokyo, Japan

A Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare chopper materialized on the roof of the Maison K apartments, waiting for Shinji and Ronald after the two had arrived with their duffel bags in hand. Its ECS had been switched off after arrival to fend off the birds that would flock near it as it doesn't completely conceal itself from the public.

"Glad you guys made it." The Pave Mare's co-pilot said with an Australian accent. "How's school doing?"

"Whatever, Gebo 10." Shinji smirked. He tossed in his duffel bag before Ronald did the same likewise. "We're fine." The two SRT operators entered the MH-67's cabin without a single minute to spare.

"Come on now." Ronald closed the cabin door. "Chop, chop. We need to get to the TDD-1 before Uruz-9 does."

"Understood." The co-pilot gave a two-finger salute before he told the pilot to activate the MH-67's ECS and leave the area en route to the TDD-1.

* * *

Lobby, Peninsula Manila Hotel, Makati, Philippines

Gauron, in his business suit once more, was accompanied by Red Fox. But unlike the terrorist, the Singaporean terrorist chose to wear a simple white polo shirt and jeans on due to Philippine climate. The two were seated in one of the lobby's many couches, facing a Caucasian man who was in his early 30s.

"I guess you're the guy Mr. Kalium's told me about." Gauron began the conversation. "Cole Sterling aka Bushmaster."

"Hold it." Red Fox, or publicly known as Chen Siu Wen, questioned Gauron's comments. "You mean that lolita maniac actually recommend this guy?"

"Oh yes." Gauron grinned. "I heard about him when he fought with me back in the Zanzibar Land Wars."

"I'm quite flattered actually, Gauron." Cole grinned, running his hair on his dark brown hair. "Never I expected that Gates would tell me about you."

Gauron nodded. _Sooner or later, I'll need to get rid of that guy since he's trying to place his influence on the Fei and Xia twins. _"Gladly," The scarred terrorist/mercenary introduced Red Fox to Bushmaster. "Cole, this is Chen Siu Wen. He fought with Kashim during the Zanzibar Land Independence Wars."

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance." Cole aka Bushmaster smirked when he shook hands with the 18-year old mercenary.

"Yeah." Red Fox murmured, still shaking Bushmaster's hand. "Likewise."

"So." Bushmaster reclined back on his couch. "I heard that the higher ups are ordering for an incoming mission."

"That's right." Gauron took a sip of cold regular Coke from the glass placed on the coffee table in between their couches. "Mr. Gold wants us to do... some things in the Republic of Perio."

Bushmaster was not impressed with Gauron's answer. "What kind of things in Perio?"

"I'm going to assemble a force to take on the island of Berildaobu." Gauron replied, getting a folded piece of paper from his suit pocket.

Red Fox took the paper and unfolded it. "This, my friend, is the very island that we plan to stage an attack on in the evening."

"If I recall my geography right," Bushmaster studied the map of the Perio islands. "that island happens to be close to Palau and the Philippines."

"We should be able to strike on Berildaobu." Gauron pointed his left index finger on the map, indicating its location. "Very, very quickly since we're going to have some new Arm Slaves to back us up."

Gauron eyed Bushmaster carefully. "But on the other hand, you'll be leading a strike force to overwhelm Perionian soldiers on the site."

Bushmaster now had a smirk on his own when he studied the map of the island. "So the area's a storage site for American chemical weapons eh?"

"Either that from our agents in the Perionian military." Red Fox shrugged his shoulders. "Or they're trying to be sincere in disposing of them, which isn't the case since the big US of SR still exists."

"Right, right." Bushmaster sighed. "In any case, we better start planning."

* * *

Infirmary, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Ah, greetings." Doctor Peggy Goldberry, doctor for Merida Island and the Tuatha De Danaan-1 of African-American origin, greeted the masked Ronald after he entered her office. Already clad in his SRT uniform, Ronald took a hold of his left forehead.

"Hi, doc." Ronald massaged his forehead. "Listen, my head kinda hurts right now. It started after we departed from Merida Island and it just won't stop."

"I see." Peggy prepared a Tylenol anti-headache pill with a glass of water. "Drink this first."

Ronald unfolded a bit of his balaclava in order to ingest the pill before he took the glass and drank its content. _Hope this helps._

"I suggest you lie down first." Dr. Goldberry led him to a cot after she drew out the curtains for him to see. "That way, you'll feel much better."

Ronald nodded, taking his boots off with his beret and balaclava and placed it on the table next to the cot before he went to lie down.

_That feels so much better_. Ronald closed his eyes after settling himself on the cot and tucking himself in with a blanket. _Especially since the end of summer's coming for Japan. But the music from the dang party's gonna kill me pretty fast...  
_

* * *

Beach, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

With the evening setting in on the island republic, an unknown group of Zy-98 Shadows in gray-purple colors were being led by a red Shadow and Plan1058 Codarl-I. The group were deposited on the beach near to Berildaobu's only harbor by unknown heavy cargo choppers, which had their presence concealed by the use of ECS.

**"Stage 1's all set, Gauron." **Red Fox contacted Gauron on his radio. **"Nicely sweet of them to add ECS on my Shadow too."**

**"I too appreciate the sentiment of them giving me an Arm Slave." **Gauron chuckled. **"They'd give you a Codarl-I if you were better trained to handle its Lambda Driver."**

Red Fox sighed. **"Ahh... I don't know about that. I'm not that guy who'd agree to have drugs inserted into my system."**

**"I understand." **Gauron sighed and went to access a radio frequency. **"I better contact our guy first and see if he's positioned near the storage facility's main building."**

After Gauron had the frequency set, he waited for someone to answer it. _Wonder if he's all ready back there before we do the fireworks?_

**"Yeah?"**

Gauron grinned when he heard Bushmaster's voice. **"So I take it that you're all set back there?"**

* * *

Forest near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

**"Everything's fine from where my position is."**

Bushmaster, wearing a Canadian CADPAT Temperate Woodland uniform including field shirt and pants, was speaking to Gauron via earpiece placed on his left ear. He looked around the main building to see that a few armed personnel were conducting patrols. Bushmaster had been accompanied by a joint force of ENIGMA soldiers, having the unusual monoeyed gas mask with American Woodland BDUs on and black PASGT helmets. They had their IMI Galil SARs at the ready. Also accompanying the ENIGMA force were ARGUS Corporation personnel, having the same weapons and gear used during the siege on the Japanese Defense Agency research center to rescue Takuma a few months ago.

**"What about the OPFORS? Can you tell from your position?"**

**"Give me a few minutes to check." **Bushmaster wore the face mask of a Belgian-made OIP Lightweight Universal Night-Observation System (LUNOS) night-vision goggles with the LUNOS already attached and scoped the building's perimeter. _Gotta thank myself for putting GEN3 image intensifers here. _The ex-American Delta Force operator gripped the foregrip and pistol grip of his Singapore Technologies Kinetics SAR-21 Lightweight Carbine carefully while he observed the area.

**"Strange though." **mused the American mercenary. _I don't know what to make of this, but they're not US soldiers even though the facility belongs to the US Army._

**"What about it?" **Gauron asked, who was seemingly worried by Bushmaster's remarks.

Bushmaster slinged his SAR-21 carbine and secured it on his back before he unslinged his IMI Galil Tzalafim sniper rifle. He then peered through its mounted GEN3-based ATN 2-6x68 DNS 3A Day/Night Riflescope.

**"They're not US soldiers of any type." **Bushmaster commented, eyeing the armed men patrolling the building's perimeter.

**"Well," **Gauron was getting a bit impatient. **"what are they then? Ghosts?"**

**"Course not." **Bushmaster whined on Gauron's sarcastic remark. _Damn Gauron! Being impatient as usual... _**"They've got American Woodland BDUs and British-based PLCE web gear. Judging from that difference, they have to be with the Perionian Army."**

Silence was on the frequency between Gauron and Bushmaster until the former replied with glee in his tone. **"This should be quite interesting."**

_Right. _Bushmaster rolled his eyes, not knowing if he should be scared of Gauron or not while see looking at the Perionian soldiers through his ATN scope. **"Anyway, I checked their weapons. They've got Pindad SS-1 V1 assault rifles and Vektor Mini-SS LMGs with them. Not to mention various pineapples on them."**

**"So five five sixers and pineapples are the only opposition?" **Gauron mused for a bit. **"Wait. Hold on a second, I got something..."**

* * *

Unknown Area

_Help me..._

"Wha..." Ronald found out that he was in a dark area, though he could see that he was standing despite the absence of a floor. "Who said that..."

_Please help me..._

"Who said that?" Ronald looked around to see that he was all alone. "And was someone really actually talking to me?" _And the voice is female, if my hearing's right. But I can't see her around...  
_

_Please listen to me..._

* * *

Forest near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

**"All right." **Gauron spoke back to Bushmaster. **"Looks like American special forces are here with their M6A3s."**

**"Dark Bushnells." **murmured Bushmaster.

**"But don't you worry about that part. That'll be part of my job. You just do your part, 'kay?"**

**"Kay..." **Bushmaster was a bit stunned. _Never knew he was the caring type. _**"So when do I move in?"**

Loud explosions were heard all over the place, stunning most of the defending Perionian soldiers.

**"How's about now? That sound good?"**

Bushmaster motioned to the assembled ARGUS and ENIGMA personnel to immediately spring out of the forest and fire at the armed Perionian army soldiers guarding the area now that the explosions took them by surprise.

**"Sounds good to me..." **Emerging out of the bushes, Bushmaster aimed for the nearest Perionian soldier with his SAR-21 Carbine at the ready before he fired it. **"I'm going in, Gauron. Be sure to cover my ass."**

**"Don't worry." **Gauron reassured the dark brown-haired mercenary. **"I'll make sure your bottom ass is safe with you."**

* * *

Unknown Area

"What do you mean the day will come?"

Ronald was visibly scratching his head, stunned and confused at the same time at the mysterious voice that spoke to him.

_I cannot say much. But it has something to do with us being Whispered._

"US?" Ronald was now steaming mad. "AND WHO IS THIS...US? I can't see you from where I am."

_All will be revealed in due time, Ronald Takeda Chua._

"All will be revealed?" Ronald was confused. "What do you mean in due time."

The mysterious voice did not bother to reply to Ronald's question.

"Wha..." Ronald saw that his surroundings were now changing colors from black to white. "What's happening around here..."

* * *

Infirmary, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Ronald!" Tessa, seated next to Ronald's cot, shook him on his shoulders after seeing that he had been stirring himself in his sleep from having different facial expressions to speaking softly in murmurs only for himself to hear. "Ronald! Wake up..."

"Huh...wha..." Ronald woke up after Tessa had called for his name. He was relieved when he saw Tessa seated next to his cot, although worried. "Oh, it's you." He rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. _Damn! Wonder how long have I been sleeping in the infirmary?_

Tessa placed her right hand on her chest and exhaled. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"Um..." Ronald scratched his cheek, staring at the cot's blanket. "How'd you get here?"

"Well..." Tessa smiled a bit. "I just had a bath with our guest today..."

"A bath?" Ronald was baffled. "In the TDD-1?"

"That's kind of a long story." Tessa could feel a sweatdrop falling down from her forehead. _Oh dear! It looks like he doesn't know about the room where the AS parts were usually washed can be used as a hot spring-style tub._

"Never mind." Ronald shook his head. "How long did I sleep here? Do you know."

Tessa lightly shook her head. "Afraid not."

"Forget about that anyway."

Standing up from her chair, Tessa then explained to Ronald about her presence. "I hope you had a good rest from your headache. Lieutenant Commander Kalinin's going to have a briefing today."

"What is it about, Tessa?" asked the Whispered SRT operator.

* * *

Security room, main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

A loud, sharp kick on the door was the cause of all the attention of the security guards inside the control room towards it.

"Look out!" A live flashbang was tossed inside, which exploded a few minutes later before it landed on the floor.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Loud automatic gunfire was heard inside, killing all the guards inside despite having drawn out their Sig Sauer P225 pistols at the unknown assailants.

Minutes later after the smoke cleared, a few ENIGMA soldiers searched the room and lightly kicked the corpses to see if they were moving.

"We've got the room!" shouted one of the ENIGMA soldiers, pressing a few buttons on the main control panel to check on the security cameras inside the building.

"Good work!" An ARGUS mercenary, his Heckler and Koch UMP 45 submachine gun slinged on his right shoulder, went inside and spoke on his earpiece. **"Sir, we've secured the building's security room."**

* * *

Staircase, main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

Bushmaster, for the past 2 minutes, had been leading a number of ARGUS mercenaries up a staircase from the ground floor towards their destination.

"Move it! Move it!" Bushmaster yelled to muster up spirit for the ARGUS mercenaries under him to advance further and seize control of the building while Gauron's Arm Slave teams were taking care of the M6A3s.

_Perionian soldiers! _Seeing three Perionian soldiers advance towards him from the top floors armed with Pindad SS-1V2 assault carbines at the ready, Bushmaster took aim at them with the red dot sight attached on his SAR-21 carbine and fired off several bursts from his weapon at the approaching soldiers. They all tumbled down to the base of the 2nd staircase landing, all of them dead.

**"What's your status?" **Bushmaster received a transmission from Gauron.

**"We're almost at the third floor." **replied the American mercenary. **"I ran into some trouble. What about you?"**

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1058 Codarl I

**"We've taken care of most of the American M6A3s around here." **The monitor of his Codarl I warned him of a near miss from several bullets that flew overhead. **"Correction. There seems to be one bugger who's able to evade me."**

**"You'll be alright?" **Bushmaster asked while Gauron had his Codarl I walk slowly towards his target.

**"Relax." **snickered the scarred mercenary/terrorist. **"Obviously you don't have any experience in handling Arm Slaves with Lamba Drivers on it."**

**"Hmmm..." **Bushmaster decided not to further debate with Gauron. **"I guess you're right there."**

**"I'll finish this first. Just make sure to secure the building." **When Gauron was in front of the last M6A3, he raised the right arm and had its thumb and index fingers extended out in front of his lone target.

**"You're the last one standing hm?" **Gauron analyzed his target carefully. **"No one's ever been able to stand up against me so far. Besides, I heard some of your comrades trying to get help." **He then shrugged his shoulders. **"Oh well, good work soldier. Let me show you how it's done." **

As the last M6A3 raised its compact pistol at Gauron's Codarl I, Gauron stepped in a bit closer and closer to his victim. **"Don't f-ck with me!"**

The bullets from the compact pistol deflected off the Codarl I, but not without Gauron saying, **"Bang!"**

After a few seconds of saying the words, a loud and deafening explosion came from the rear of the M6A3. It then took out the lone Arm Slave without blowing it up.

**"Gauron. I've got some news for you."**

Gauron smiled upon hearing Bushmaster's transmission. **"Let's hear it then."**

**"We've secured the main administrative building. I'm about to mop up the last of the Perionian soldiers guarding it."**

**"Alright. good." **Gauron entered some commands and had the monitor display a 3D map of Berildaobu island. **"I've got friendly units in the area that seized control of the disposal facilities, the warehouses that housed the chemical weapons and a joint American-Perionian military base."**

**"Understood. I'll take care of the rest of my end."**

**"Just be sure not to leave anyone standing, especially since the island's being manned by military forces. Gather up the civilians around too while you're at it too. We do need some collateral after all."**

**"Got it."**

* * *

Infirmary, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"There's been reports of unknown terrorists attacking the Republic of Perio's Berildaobu island." Tessa said, waiting for Ronald to put on his boots.

"Perio?" Ronald said, putting on his balaclava. "That's near Palau and the Philippines..."

Tessa nodded. "I'm sure that there'll be American response to this since the island houses an American military facility."

"I guess I'll know more about this attack later on." Ronald grabbed the Zanzibar Land Guards beret and donned it on top of his balaclava as always.

"I'll see you later." Tessa left the infirmary, heading to the direction of the briefing room.

* * *

Corridor, main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

"I surrender!"

A Perionian soldier dropped his SS1-V1 assault rifle and raised his hands up upon realizing that most of the last surviving Perionian soldiers were either gunned down by Bushmaster or by the accompanying ARGUS mercenaries. "I surrender! Please don't shoot!"

"Sorry friend." Holding his SAR-21 carbine on his left hand, Bushmaster drew out his IMI Desert Eagle Mark XIX pistol and fired a single .357 magnum to his chest. "Nothing personal. Just business."

"Finish him off." Two ARGUS mercenaries with Colt M4A1 assault carbines ran up to the gunned Perionian soldier and fired a few 5.56 NATO bullets into the chest several times to ensure he was dead.

"Sir." An ARGUS mercenary armed with a Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun had been waiting for Bushmaster. "Gauron just called up for you."

"And?" Bushmaster raised his eyebrow.

"He needs to see you right away."

* * *

Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Sir!" Ronald greeted Kalinin upon entering the briefing room. Kalinin nodded and watched Ronald sit down at the rear of the room with Shinji.

"We've got newbies in front." Shinji whispered to Ronald when he took his seat.

"What about it?" Ronald asked his masked comrade.

"Names are Guen Bien Bo and John Danigan. Both are ex-special forces personnel. They came in a couple of months."

"I see."

"As of 2330 hours yesterday," Kalinin said, beginning with the debriefing. "an unknown group has seized control of the Berildaobu island in the Republic of Perio."

Seeing as to no immediate reaction yet from the gathered SRT personnel, Kalinin continued. "This facility houses several tons of nerve gas and the group threatens to unleash them unless their demands are met."

Loud murmuring began to erupt from the SRT personnel, but one of them reminded his colleagues. "You guys, quiet down."

Shinji raised his hand until Kalinin acknowledged him. "Yes?"

"Commander," Shinji addressed Kalinin. "Did they said as to what kinds of demands they have?"

Kalinin shook his hand. "I'm afraid not."

* * *

Teletha Testarossa' Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Thank you for coming, Miss Chidori." Kaname was now wearing a red sleeveless shirt and a yellow windbreaker since she felt a bit cold being in a submarine. "I was hoping that I can talk to you before I get any more busier."

"What is this about?" Kaname saw that tea had been prepared for them, placed in a coffee table in front of them. "MITHRIL?"

"No." Tessa shook her head. "It's about the Whispered."

_The Whispered... _Kaname was shocked to hear what she had told her.

* * *

Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"We've already checked the enemy's battle strength." Kalinin said, showing off a picture of Zy-98 Shadows on the screen. "This is thought to be the USSR's latest model. So we can defeat them with conventional AS and infantry tactics. Estimates are consisting of six enemy ASes and five triple As."

Ronald eyed the tactical map on screen with the X marks displaying the estimated locations of the triple As. _Wonder what kind of anti-aircraft artillery do they have that risks a HALO or HAHO operation. _He then raised his hand.

"Excuse me, Commander Kalinin?"

"Yes." Kalinin acknowledged him. "Do you have a question?"

"If I'm right on Perionian politics," Ronald began to ask his superior officer. "Doesn't the American and Perionian government have an agreement that would allow Perionian military forces to guard the island."

Kalinin nodded. "Indeed." He then studied the map and told the assembled SRT forces. "We've also received word of some armed infantry affiliated with the unknown group that stormed the island. They're being led by a mercenary named Bushmaster."

Kurz, Sousuke, Ronald and Shinji were alarmed when they heard his name.

"I'm sure some of you may be aware of him." Kalinin saw that some of his subordinates were distressed by the name. "Which is why the American military is preparing to deploy FOXHOUND forces in the area under a Mutual Defense Treaty between America and Perio."

Ronald voiced another question again. "Will RAINBOW forces show up too?"

"Intelligence did highlight of that possibility." Kalinin replied. He then reminded his SRT subordinates very sharply. "But remember that our objective is to suppress the AS forces and rescue any hostages being held by the group."

Kurz then raised a question. "But with FOXHOUND forces and the possibility of RAINBOW forces showing up, won't the objective of rescuing the hostages be done in our benefit?"

Guen Bien Bo, ex-operator of the Vietnam People's Ground Force Dac Cong special forces unit, agreed with Kurz. "He's right. That'll give us the time we need to finish off the enemy."

"But there is something that I have to inform you all today..." The Soviet MITHRIL officer reminded his subordinate.

* * *

Teletha Testarossa' Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Whispered... Black Technology?" Kaname tried hard to absorb the words that Tessa said when she revealed herself to be a Whispered too. "You mean I'm one too?"

"Yes." Tessa nodded. "In fact, you've shown your own power twice."

"One was in North Korea," Tessa poured hot water from the kettle to the tea pot. "and the other was with the Behemoth."

Kaname simply looked at Tessa with an expression that described, "What the heck are you talking about?"

"Of course," Tessa smiled at the high school student. "I did help you back there."

"I didn't understand about that..." Kaname mumbled, but Tessa was able to hear it.

"It's called resonance." Tessa said.

"Resonance?" Kaname heard what Tessa said. _Boy, is this plot getting deeper and deeper like a sci-fi action novel with some plot twists?_

* * *

Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"This unknown Arm Slave was spotted in the island alongside the other Arm Slaves that I've shown you." Kalinin pointed to a picture of the Codarl-I and the Shadows. Kurz and Sousuke swallowed their throats, already knowing that Gauron is the main pilot of the Codarl-I.

"Ordinary attacks won't work against it." The screen shows a bullet being reflected by the same Lamba Driver that nearly made victims of Kurz, Sousuke and Ronald. "So in short, just run away if you happen to encounter it."

Most of the SRT personnel, including Melissa, glared at either Kalinin or at the picture of the Codarl-I. Even Ronald and Shinji couldn't help but feel the same way as their SRT peers did.

"You mean to really run away?" Guen sneered at the Codarl-I pic. "Like some damn coward?" Being of Vietnamese origin and from a country that was able to defeat pro-South Vietnamese forces in the 1970s, Guen wouldn't allow his pride to be hurt by some strange order.

"Why don't we just surround it from all sides if it's so tough to begin with." John Danigan, an ex-soldier of the American army's 82nd Airborne Division, commented. He had a scar that ran on his right eye.

"You guys just want to die, don't you?" Kurz yelled, silencing John and Guen for the meantime.

* * *

Teletha Testarossa' Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"It's something that we Whispered can do from deep within our souls." Tessa said, but reminded Kaname. "But it's something that we must avoid at much as possible."

"Why?" Kaname didn't like it when Tessa told her to avoid resonance. "It sounds handy..."

"Sometimes, there are handy things that come before us like a double-edged sword, miss Kaname." Tessa waited for the tea leaves to settle in the pot before she poured some into a cup. "You see, resonance is like mind sharing more than conversation. We begin to blend into each other and become one."

Tessa took a small milk jug and poured milk on her teacup. "Like this for instance." The Whispered officer took a stirrer and stirred her milk and tea together. "I can't separate the tea and milk anymore. You can lose yourself and who you really are."

Kaname smiled a bit, scratching her chin. "I kind of understand and not understand."

"The truth is," Tessa had her teacup on her hands. "I don't understand this all myself." She watched Kaname sip her tea before she did the same.

* * *

Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"When I say run away," Kalinin said without any attempt to hide the nasty truth. "it's not either a suggestion or a request . But a direct order." Murmuring erupted from the SRT ranks, hinting of their displeasure. "Failure to follow orders will be punished. Assuming that... you're still alive."

"I can't believe this goddamn farce." An SRT enlisted man sneered at the order.

"Yeah. This must be some kind of bullshit or something!" said another.

"Keep it down!" McAllen reminded his subordinates. "All of you!"

"For convenience's sake, we'll call this red AS _Venom_." Kalinin directed his stare at Sousuke before he gazed at Ronald, ignoring the protests from the SRT operators. "Sergeant Sagara and Uruz 11 will engage Venom and destroy them. The others are to fall back and assist them in engaging Venom."

Sousuke looked down at the ground, feeling everyone staring at him. _Why me? Why must I be one of those to do the dirty job?_

"Don't let for a single moment. Everyone is to conduct support roles and force the enemy into close quarters combat. Then... victory will come to us."

"If we lose..." All eyes stared at Ronald, who calmly threw a question at Kalinin. "Then, all of us will die right?"

"That is correct." The SRT personnel being debriefed began to feel nervous. Even Guen and John felt nervous as well when they felt sweat trickle down their foreheads.

* * *

Teletha Testarossa' Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"The reason I'm telling you this is because there are some people who want your powers." Tessa had warned Kaname on her Whispered powers.

"You mean like that Gauron guy?" Kaname asked.

Tessa nervously nodded. "Yes. If he knew about me, he would go after me too..."

"I see."

"He'd try anything just to achieve his twisted goals."

"But," Kaname raised an issue with Tessa. "I remember hearing someone else trying to resonate with me too." She then hugged herself a bit. "And I could swear that he's in the submarine too."

"Let's keep this between us." Tessa raised her right index finger to make an emphasis. Kaname nodded. "Actually, you're right about that. I have a Whispered under my command in the SRT."

"A Whispered soldier?" Kaname was astounded to hear what Tessa told her. "Wow..."

"I know." Tessa stretched her arms. "I'm quite amazed too. I never heard of a Whispered in a combat role."

"It only seems that two guys are masked..." Kaname chuckled a bit.

"Please understand," Tessa explained, staring at the wall clock behind Kaname. "they placed that in as a special request due to personal reasons."

* * *

Outside Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"I'm heading to the hangar." Shinji said after waiting for Ronald to exit the briefing room. "You coming?"

"I'll pass for the meantime." Ronald shook his head. "I'll have to get to our room first. Need to get some of my stuff."

"Okay." Shinji nodded, watching Ronald walk away from the briefing room. "I'll see you later!" Shinji shouted, hoping that Ronald would hear him.

Ronald responded by giving a thumbs up on his left hand.

* * *

Ronald and Shinji's Shared Quarters, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald entered the shared quarters, checking the bottom bunk bed for his things. "Looks like my stuff's ready." He took off his balaclava and beret and placed it next to a small box. Ronald took the cover off and was about to take the Glock 34 pistol inside when he heard someone speak to him from behind.

"I knew I can find you here."

Ronald quickly turned around and was about to use the Glock 34 on the _intruder_, who happens to be Tessa. "What are you doing here?" Ronald lowered the pistol down and ejected the 17-round magazine for check for bullets.

"I was looking for you." Tessa closed the door to Ronald and Shinji's quarters, intending to make their presence private to other people.

"I see that you already spoke to Kaname." Ronald slapped the magazine back into his Glock 34 and pulled its slide back to chamber a single 9mm Parabellum round. "Is there anything I should know?"

"Not really." Tessa shook her head. Ronald took a 9mm bullet from inside the box before he reejected the magazine from his Glock 34 and inserted the round into the magazine. "But I wish to tell you something."

"I'm listening." Ronald slapped the magazine for the second time back on his sidearm, now having 17 rounds and a single 9mm in the chamber. But as he waited for Tessa to speak to him, Ronald wondered what happened to the young officer, even though the door hatch to his quarters was closed a minute ago.

Tessa had leaned her head on Ronald's back and wrapped her arms around his waist.

_Tessa... _Ronald sighed. Placing the Glock 34 on the bottom bunk bed, he gently placed his right hand over Tessa's and touched it for a few seconds. _Why?_

"I've been thinking about you lately." Tessa whispered, still leaning her head on Ronald's back to listen to his heartbeat.

"Please don't." Ronald gently removed Tessa's hands from his waist before he faced her. "Look, I don't mean to be mean on you. You're a nice person and all, but things are different."

Tessa stared down at the floor. "Is it because I'm your commanding officer, is it?"

Ronald closed his eyes and swallowed his saliva. "Yeah." He then placed his left hand on Tessa's right shoulder. "But I'll keep that promise that you told me."

"That we can still talk after this thing's over right?" Tessa asked him with hope in her heart.

Ronald nodded. "I don't break a lady's promise." He then gave a sincere smile. "That's what my mom told me."

Placing a finger on his chin, Tessa softly said. "I hope you do keep your promise." She then reached out to touch Ronald's right cheek with her left hand. "I hope you do." Tessa didn't notice that her fingers had made contact a small and unnoticeable scar near his chin.

* * *

Dry Deck Shelter, USS Buffalo, en route to Perio

Seated inside the submarine's shelter while riding underwater en route to Berildaobu, four men and two women were seated inside wearing olive green BDUs and tactical vests on. They were mostly armed with Heckler and Koch G36K assault rifles with one being armed with a Fabrique Nationale M249 light machine gun alongside a variety of side arms. The group had left when the USS Buffalo had been dispatched from yesterday in the early morning from Guam with a RAINBOW team sent to the island territory from Hawaii after conducting anti-terrorist training with JTF-2 in the Canadian province of British Colombia.

"Alright everyone." The gruff Eastern European voice belonged to Arkadi Novikov, Soviet RAINBOW operator of Belarussian origin and team leader for the mission looked at the other five RAINBOW operators who were seemingly sleepy but well rested for the upcoming mission. "I hope you all had a good rest."

Tracy Woo, a Chinese-American RAINBOW operator and ex-LAPD SWAT officer, yawned. "So are we the only ones going to conduct the raid on Berildaobu?"

"I don't think so." Kazimiera Rakuzanka, Polish RAINBOW operator and ex-GROM operator replied. "I'm pretty sure that the American FOXHOUND unit and those MITHRIL people will too for this operation."

Lars Beckenbauer, a former East German refugee and one of the founders of the security firm Pyrotechno GmbH and now RAINBOW operator, grunted while preparing his G36K carbine. "Better be careful. Especially with reports of planted explosives near nerve gas canisters on the island."

Arkadi spoke to the German operator. "You got your anti-explosives kit, yes?"

Lars nodded in reply.

Genedy Filatov, another Soviet RAINBOW operator of Russian origin, spoke to the entire team. "It begs the question as to why the American government would store their chemical weapons on a sovereign nation. I'm not sure if that was a good move in the first place as the Perionian military doesn't have the adequate training to handle chemical weapons disposal." He had the FN M249 LMG at his disposal.

"But the US military has been given most of the land in Berildaobu with a base on the island." Kazimiera answered the Russian's concerns. "But I would agree with you on why the US military would store their chemical weapons on foreign countries when it would make sense to do it on their own soil."

Hong Min-Hyun, a South Korean RAINBOW operator and ex-Navy SEAL soldier, spoke to his other RAINBOW peers to get their mind on the mission. "I'm afraid we don't have time to debate on that issue for now. What's important is that we rescue the hostages in the island and hopefully, we can get some answers regarding this latest crisis."

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

A USAF C-130H, which came from Yokota Air Base's 36th Airlift Squadron, now bound for Perio after taking off from Kadena Air Base located in Okinawa. Inside the transport plane was a FOXHOUND unit consisting of several FOXHOUND Light Infantry soldiers armed with FAMAS G2 assault rifles at the ready. They were being led by Liquid Snake, as the unit's commanding officer, on the mission to infiltrate Berildaobu. Joining the British-raised man were Sniper Wolf, Revolver Ocelot and Slasher Hawk. The Australian aboriginal FOXHOUND special agent had not been seen in recent action for the past two to three months due to a combination to personal matters and a high fever that followed his visit back to Australia.

"So we're going to go in by HALO?" Ocelot asked, checking his trenchcoat and his cowboy boots.

Liquid nodded. "Afraid so. We've managed to confirm about 5 triple-A artillery pieces. Said to be Soviet-made 9K22 Tunguskas."

Ocelot's left eyebrow went up, being interested to hear the name of the newest Soviet anti-aircraft vehicle. "So they've named the newest one after the Tunguska river? I've been to the ones in the Far East..."

Wolf shook her head and sighed, while being next to Ocelot. "Please. I'm not interested right now to hear about yourself back in memory lane."

"So what's the plan?" The Australian aboriginal asked, his pet eagle on his shoulder.

"We go in by HALO, as planned." Liquid debriefed his special agents. "And of course, steer clear of their triple-As at all costs. We'll need to take them out as our first objective."

The Kurdish FOXHOUND operator asked Liquid, "And the hostages in the island?"

Liquid pondered on her subordinate's concern before he replied, "They'll be taken care of once the triple-As are taken out of commission. Those things will be a threat for other friendly forces that could be deployed from either Okinawa, Subic Bay or Clark in the next few minutes, depending on how the next course of action would be."

Hawk nodded. "Understood."

The British CO checked his Casio-made digital wristwatch. "We go in the area by 10." He then faced the other FOXHOUND special agents. "So until then, better get ready."

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald was now in the TDD-1's AS/Vehicle hangar, already dressed in his Orihalcon-made Armored Muscle Suit and his balaclava already donned. He had a tactical vest worn with his Glock 34 holstered on it.

"Sousuke." Sousuke approached the masked SRT operator, already finished talking to Nora.

"Greetings."

"So um..." Ronald hesitated a bit before he asked. "Did you speak to Kaname?"

"If you mean on whether she was asking on my state of mind," Sousuke commented on Ronald's question. "then yes, she did."

_Man! You didn't need to go that far... _"And?"

"I told her I'll be fine."

Ronald nodded. "That's just typical of her. After all, this is her first time to be exposed to a military environment, unlike us. So I don't blame her."

"I know." Sousuke answered, feeling the same way. "I better change to my pilot suit, so I'll see you later."

"Ok." Ronald simply watched Sousuke leave for his quarters. "Better not waste any more time standing around here. Better move."

* * *

Beach, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

"I'm glad you made it out here, Bushmaster." Gauron sat outside his kneeling Codarl-I, waiting for the mercenary to arrive. "I was just getting really bored out here waiting for you."

"And I arrived, okay? Sheesh." Bushmaster sighed and shook his head at the same time. "So what do you need from me?"

Gauron mused and thought on Bushmaster's question before he responded. "I trust that you were able to eliminate all of the enemies in the administrative building?"

"Yeah." The American nodded. "There's no problem on our end. I've got some civilian workers, both American and Perionian. What do I do with them?"

"Let's move them at once to the base near the warehouses." Gauron answered. "We need them alive as a bargaining tool, and I don't think our MITHRIL friends or those American special forces guy would go in guns blazing if they knew where they area."

"I have a suggestion." Bushmater told Gauron. "Why not split them up? It'll be easier for us on our end to manage them, not to mention that we can confuse their intelligence for a while."

"Good idea." Gauron motioned to a Shadow pilot to come near him. "I'll get that going at once."

"Hey you guys." Red Fox, now in his Arm Slave pilot suit, greeted the two mercenaries. "Kid and the others were able to establish a good perimeter on Camp Hewlett. They're trying to get some of their triple-A hardware operational."

Gauron nodded at the good news. "Excellent. Tell him to hurry it up. We'll going to have some guests arriving on Berildaobu very soon."

"Got it." Red Fox went off from the beach, leaving Gauron and Bushmaster.

"Looks like we'll be able to hold off the enemy from getting the goods." Bushmaster said, feeling excited. "I'm starting to feel all excited."

"Me too." Gauron smirked. "Me too."

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Hey there." Nora greeted Ronald, who was standing by his Falke with a maintenance technician. "Looks like our commander didn't have any objections to you getting deployed."

Ronald shook his head. "No, she didn't." He stared at the kneeling Falke, waiting for its master to enter its cockpit. "How did Anna do?"

Nora handed Ronald a clipboard for him to look over. "Anna did exceptionally well during the maintenance. Looks like there weren't any kind of bugs at all..."

Looking over the report, Ronald was glad to hear something positive from his colleague from his Research days. "Okay, then." Nora took the clipboard after Ronald handed it back to her. "Looks like I'll need to get ready soon."

"Right." Nora replied. The blonde scientist looked apprehensive afterwards.

"Um...Nora?" Ronald called out to his friend. "You look kinda down? You hanging in there?"

Nora spoke to Ronald and whispered. "I'm not sure. It's just that I'm worried about you."

Ronald chuckled, making Nora a bit angry. "I'll be fine." He patted on the Falke. "Anna's gonna back me up though."

"Yeah." Nora said before she hesitated, gently grabbing his right arm and squeezing it. "But you'll never know when the Lamba Driver will fail on you, Whispered or not at all."

Scratching his neck, Ronald sighed. "I see." Nora then let go of his right arm.

"Just be careful, okay?" Nora said, watching Ronald climb towards the Falke's cockpit.

Ronald responded by giving Nora a thumbs up before he was inside.

* * *

Cockpit, M9DL Falke

"Okay. Here we go."

Seated inside his Falke, Ronald began to boot up his unit's OS.

**"Staff Sergeant Ronald Takeda Chua. B-3130!" **Ronald said, activating his user configuration solely meant for him.

**"Good morning, Ronald." **Anna greeted Ronald. **"Would you like to read over a maintenance report done by Lieutenant Nora Lemming?"**

Ronald shook his head. **"No thanks, Anna. Done that. But I'd like you to do a system check, please. I've got an incoming mission."**

**"Please wait for approximately 5 minutes."**

**"Alright, Anna. Just try to hurry it up when you can."**

**"Understood."**

Moments later, a voice was heard on the submarine's PA system.

**"Attention to all SRT personnel participating in the Berildaobu operation," **The voice on the PA sytem belonged to Tessa herself. **"please proceed immediately to the hangar. I repeat, please proceed to the hangar immediately. The Tuatha De Danaan-1 is now 15 kilometers near Berildaobu Island. Please make sure that your Arm Slaves and equipment are ready for the operation. That is all."**

_Whoa! _Ronald gave a soft whistle to himself. _Looks like "Operation beat down the scumbags" is getting underway right now._

**"System check complete." **Anna's monotone voice reported back to Ronald.

**"Let's hear it."**

**"Understood." **Anna began to go over the report. **"All physical functions of the Falke reported to be normal. AM-11 CIWS systems are normal. Sensor and communication systems are normal..."**

_This could take all day long..._

**"Lamba Driver systems are normal. Some potential problems are unknown..."**

_Is this what Nora's telling me? _**"What about these problems?"**

**"Pilot response to Lamba Driver may be an obstacle to full Lamba Driver implementation."**

**"What does that mean?"**

**"It would depend on your synchronization to the Falke's Lamba Driver, Ronald."**

**"I see." **Ronald was a bit worried on the system report. _I do remember back when Morauta was around that a pilot's synchronization with an Arm Slave's Lamba Driver can be a problem since it can't be possible all the time that the pilot can generate Lamba Driver energy to his own advantage. Better keep that in mind. _**"Thanks Anna."**

**"Incoming message from Lieutenant McAllen to all allied machines."**

**"Put it on." **Ronald instructed his AI.

**"Understood."**

**"All right ladies and gentlemen." **The serious, commanding voice of Gail McAllen, aka Uruz 1, roared on his speakers. **"I hope you all had a good rest and had some time to relieve yourselves, because our operation's gonna be a long one."**

_No kidding, sir. _Ronald thought about his commanding officer's words sarcastically.

**"Better move yourselves and your Arm Slaves to the airlock hatches as soon as you can. We'll be underwater as part of the operation."**

**"Yessir!"** The replies came clear back to McAllen in unison.

* * *

Airlock Hatch, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Having been assigned to his own airlock hatch, Ronald's Falke had been fitted with underwater propulsion equipment in order to move underwater. His IMI Crimson Edge cutter sheathed on its waist. A weapons case was held by the Falke on its right hand, containing his Mauser MGK assault rifle with 50 mm anti-AS/Armor grenades in the mix.

"Now to wait for the go from Commander Kalinin." Ronald mused, having the opportunity to relax before being deployed for the Berildaobu operation.

**"Ronald?" **Ronald heard Shinji's transmission.

**"Shinji?" **

**"It's okay, mate." **Shinji concluded. **"This channel's private. No one knows about this frequency."**

Ronald didn't say anything.

**"We've got an assignment for the mission on the Berildaobu operation. Not sure on what it is."**

Ronald asked his friend. **"Know anything about it?"**

Shinji sighed. **"Nothing I'm afraid. We'll have to wait until Commander Kalinin tells us on our radios on what our position is."**

**"Especially since Lieutenant McAllen's going to lead the operation himself, like what we did back in the Philippines a few months ago after we got transferred to the Western Pacific Fleet."**

**"Attention to all SRT personnel assigned for the Berildaobu mission." **Kalinin's voice was now heard on Ronald and Shinji's frequencies. **"Listen up! We'll be starting this operation from underwater, instead of conducting infiltration via land or air."**

**"Please start filling all the airlock hatches with water." **Tessa gave the order from the TDD-1's bridge.

**"Aye ma'am!" **Mardukas replied and proceeded to give the orders to the bridge crew. **"Proceed to fill airlock hatches 1 to 8."**

**"We'll be splitting the AS forces into four teams." **Kalinin spoke to the SRT forces in their Arm Slaves, waiting for their airlocks to be filled with water. **"Blitz, cover, bomb and rear guard squads."**

**"I've be giving the names of those involved in the squads, so listen closely." **The Soviet MITHRIL officer instructed before he gave out the names. **"Sagara and McAllen will be in blitz. Weber and Guen will provide cover. Mao and Danigan will do bomb squad." **Ronald waited before Kalinin announced the squad Ronald and Shinji will be in.

**"Uruz 11 and 13 will conduct rear gear duties for the squads, as well as to give any assistance needed by the three squads mentioned."**

_Dang! I guess me and Shinji won't do much fighting in Berildaobu._

**"Remember to proceed to your own stations after passing through the appropriate waypoints. That is all."**

**"Commander." **Tessa gave out her final order before the operation began. **"Have all the AS hatches open."**

**"Aye ma'am!" **Mardukas acknowledged Tessa's orders. **"Open all AS hatches!"**

* * *

The Tuatha De Danaan-1 soon came to a halt after coming near the territorial waters of Berildaobu island while being under the ships of the Perionian navy sent to block the island's only harbor so as to prevent potential reinforcements to arrive to reinforce Gauron's position, the submarine's AS hatches were opened after being filled with water for the M9Es, Sousuke's Arbalest and Ronald's Falke to navigate underwater while carrying their weapon cases with them.

As the eight Arm Slaves of the Western Pacific Fleet move onwards to Berildaobu island, their underwater infiltration had gone on without a hitch as they continue forth to liberate the island from Gauron's force once and for all.

_Looks like it's all up to us. _McAllen kept his cool as he led his subordinates towards their destination, hoping to resolve a growing hostage crisis in time.

Chapter 18 END

PS - As per usual, chapter title is based from the Fullmetal Alchemist manga. For PLCE, that means Personal Load Carrying Equipment. Galil Tzalafim is the Hebrew designation for the Galil sniper rifle. Some sources said that its the Galatz as well. If there is a direct meaning for Tzalafim, let me know.

In real life, the battle rifle used by the Canadian Forces was called FN C1A1, not CAL C1A1D as I have described for this chapter. But I only did this for the chapter so as not to confuse it with the actual FN FAL aside from the fact that the Canadian-made FALs were made in Long Branch in Ontario, Canada and not in Belgium, so that's the problem that I don't like personally. Also, the C1A1D is different from the original C1A1 as it has full auto capabilities aside from semi-auto. The C1A1 doesn't have full auto, like most Western-trained armies that adopted the FN FAL and licensed it based on the Belgian rifle.

Dac Cong, from what I read in Vietnamese sources, is Special Task Force. It's the VPGF's special forces unit. In addition, it also does anti-terrorist missions under the VPGF's mandate.

One more thing, the C1A1 is the improved version of the C1. Likewise for C1AD as the improved version of the C1D. Other things I found out that the CF changed (for the A rifles) were the change lever and trigger plunger to facilitate their full auto options aside from being able to fire at semi-auto. But I'm not entirely sure on what improvements took place from the C1s to the C1A1s. Just drop me a line on the reviews or PM, whatever is easier and convenient though I'd go for the latter.

The OIP Lightweight Universal Night-Observation System or LUNOS is a Belgian-made NVG headset made by OIP Sensor Systems in Belgium. I'm giving an earlier appearance of the SAR-21 Carbine (aka SAR-21 Lightweight Carbine) for this chapter. It was in service with the Singaporean military in 2006. But hey, in the FMP world, anything's possible since the Whispered do exist. XD

I'll have to thank Grey Wolf4 for letting me use Cole Sterling aka Bushmaster, one of his OCs. Actually, he asked if I could use him when we were discussing about his OCs and all when the topic of my story came up. Thanks Gray, I'll try to have fun using him for the rest of the story. I also introduce to you readers another Rainbow Six Takedown character named Hong Min-Hyun, ex-operator of the ROK Navy SEALS. XP

Which reminds me. I'll try and find some way to post the pictures of all the Rainbow Takedown-only characters. I think I found a site, but I'll see if I can get alternatives first anyway.


	19. Light Confession

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. The appearance of Cole Sterling aka Bushmaster is under Gray Wolf4's jurisdiction. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke should've fired a few rounds at Gauron when he surrenders after he got his Codarl-I _disabled _during the Berildaobu operation.

Summary:

MITHRIL forces of the Western Pacific Fleet have now launched an operation to secure the island of Berildaobu of the Republic of Perio from Gauron's forces after seizing the island for its stored nerve gas weapons. FOXHOUND and RAINBOW have also launched missions to infiltrate, conduct hostage rescue and secure the island as well with the same objectives. Can these three anti-terrorist groups defeat Gauron again in Perionian soil? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 19: Light Confession

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, en route to Berildaobu, Perio

Six of the M9E Arm Slaves, plus one Arbalest and Falke, were making their way towards the shores of Berildaobu underwater. Their infiltration has been good so far as they were not spotted yet by the Perionian military or by the terrorist forces on the island.

**"We've passed waypoint three." **McAllen announced to each of his subordinates on their secure radio channel. **"In a few minutes, I want all of you to head up to your assigned waypoints. Is that clear?"**

**"Uruz 2, roger."**

**"Uruz 6, roger."**

**"Uruz 7, roger."**

**"Uruz 10, roger."**

**"Uruz 11, roger."**

**"Uruz 12, roger."**

**"Uruz 13, roger."**

The deployed group, already 15 kilometers away from Berildaobu, proceeded to part ways and make their way towards their own destination.

* * *

Outside Dry Deck Shelter, USS Buffalo, en route to Perio

"Alright." Novikov said as he and the other 5 RAINBOW operators began to prepare a Zodiac inflatable craft as the USS Buffalo had emerged from the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the submarine positioned 10 kilometers from the shores of Berildaobu and away from the Perionian Navy blockade. "I hope everyone's ready for the upcoming mission." They were being watched the submarine's XO and a few crewmembers to assist the RAINBOW team in getting ready.

"Understood." said Woo, Rakuzanka, Beckenbauer, Filatov and Hong in unison after getting the craft ready after ensuring that its motor was functional. They donned their black balaclavas before they got their olive green boonie hats on and checked their firearms.

"Let's go." Novikov was the first to enter the Zodiac craft with the other RAINBOW operators following suit.

"We'll leave the area after you guys depart for Berildaobu." The XO told Novikov, fixing his US Navy officer's uniform. "FOXHOUND's in the area as well, so you might be able to leave with them later on."

"That's fine." Novikov saluted the XO. "We'll be leaving the area." With a nod and a salute from the XO and some of the crewmembers with him, Novikov motioned to Hong to get the Zodiac's motor started up.

In a few minutes, the craft made its way towards Berildaobu before the USS Buffalo departed from the area before it submerged underwater to avoid being detected by the Perionian military.

* * *

Cargo Section, Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules, somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

"You're all clear for HALO paradrops!" The C-130H's loadmaster yelled to the assembled FOXHOUND teams in the cargo section of the plane.

"Everyone, move out!" Liquid assembled the Light Infantrymen, already lined up and with their parachute packs worn on their back. As the ramp was opened, the first few Infantrymen ran to the ramp before they jumped off and descended towards Berildaobu.

Ocelot stared at Hawk, who had his hawk perched on his shoulder. "That's going to be a problem since your pet bird can die during a HALO drop."

Hawk thought about the Soviet gunslinger's concerns before he eyed his companion. "I believe that the guardians of the sky will figure out a way to overlook this problem."

Ocelot sighed and shrugged his shoulder. "Right. I'm going to get myself ready." He turned his head around to face the tall Australian aboriginal as he prepared his equipment for a HALO drop once all of the Light Infantrymen had all jumped from the C-130H. "Better make sure you can find a way to get your pet bird to survive HALO."

Hawk casually eyed Ocelot, "I will find a way with help from the guardians."

* * *

Near Berildaobu territorial waters, Perio

McAllen's M9E and the Arbalest were the first one to emerge out of the waters of the Pacific Ocean near Berildaobu, their heads partially exposed to avoid being detected by Gauron's forces. Minutes later, Shinji's M9E and the Falke followed and partially exposed their heads as well, but were standing behind McAllen and Sousuke.

**"Looks like the coast is clear." **Shinji told McAllen via radio. **"I don't see any enemy AS or vehicles in the area." **Kurz and Guen's M9E were ashore on one of the island formations near Berildaobu, with the former getting his Bofors ASG96-B 57mm smooth-bore gun while the latter was preparing to handle his Versile II missile launcher.

**"Stay sharp, Uruz 13."**

**"Understood."**

**"But what about the presence of FOXHOUND and RAINBOW, Uruz 1?" **Ronald asked, referring to McAllen by his Western Pacific Fleet codename. **"I'm sure they'll go after the bombs and clear the perimeter."**

**"I understand your concern, Uruz 11." **McAllen replied to his masked subordinate. **"But remember that we'll need to take care of that pesky Venom. That clear?"**

**"Sir."**

* * *

Somewhere in the forest of Berildaobu, Perio

The RAINBOW team, led by Novikov, were successfully able to land in Berildaoubu without being detected by Gauron's forces. After hiding their Zodiac craft, the six-man team proceeded to infiltrate the island and used the forests and the early morning sky as cover.

"So is our only team with the enemy Arm Slaves in the area?" Filatov asked Novikov.

Novikov nodded. "I'm afraid it is. We don't have any anti-AS equipment to take them out, only small arms with some explosives and an anti-explosives kit with Beckenbauer to take on personnel and some vehicles." Hong, Woo and Rakuzanka were behind the two Soviet RAINBOW operators, making rear guard security.

"I just hope we don't get detected by the enemy." Rakuzanka mused, still holding her Heckler and Koch G36K rifle.

"Relax." Hong whispered to the ex-GROM operator. "Then we'll have to improvise, don't we?"

"Wait up." Woo halted her two comrades as Novikov did the same for the entire group. In response, the entire RAINBOW team stopped and crouched while getting close to Novikov and concealed themselves in the bushes carefully.

Novikov raised his left hand and extended his index and middle fingers, indicating the presence of two enemy sentries. He pointed again with the same hand to indicate their location; the two armed guards were patrolling the forests in front of their hiding spot.

"What now?" Woo asked, whispering her concern to Novikov. "We can't go in and make noises."

Filatov agreed with the Chinese-American. "She's right. We better get the silencers out now."

But as Novikov was about to follow Filatov's suggestion and give out the order, unknown figures had stalked the enemy sentries from the shadows with their combat knives at the ready.

* * *

The two ENIGMA soldiers, patrolling a section of the forests of Berildaobu, had been around for the past few hours in the early morning with their IMI Galil SAR rifles. Eyeing their surrounding with their monoeyed gas masks in night vision mode, everything was good so far.

"Looks like everything's quiet down here."

"Yeah. But I'm wondering why the honchos sent us here in Berildaobu with that Gauron guy?"

"Who knows? We're suppose to be doing our jobs, not to debate on it."

"I guess you're right."

"But hey, who-URK!"

The conversation never carried on with the two men; two FOXHOUND Light Infantrymen snuck up behind the unsuspecting terrorists before they silently drew out their respective combat knives. Grabbing their targets by the neck, Novikov and the hidden RAINBOW team watched the FOXHOUND soldiers make short work of the armed sentries when their throats were sliced open by sharp blades.

"All right." Ocelot emerged from the forest with Wolf, the latter signaling the other hidden Light Infantrymen to emerge from the forest also and dispose of the corpses. "We better get a move on first towards Camp Hewlett. Besides, we haven't seen the boss or Hawk."

"Okay." Wolf nodded, who carried her Heckler and Koch PSG-1 sniper rifle at her hands.

* * *

Near Berildaobu territorial waters, Perio

**"Report in." **McAllen spoke to his subordinates on his radio channel as it had been a few minutes since his team had been near Berildaobu territory.

**"This is Uruz 2." **Melissa was the first to report back to McAllen. **"We've managed to defuse one of the bombs so far, but it seems that RAINBOW forces are working on defusing the rest."**

**"Uruz 6 reporting." **Kurz was next. **"Everything looks quiet on the horizon, though it seems that most of the enemy Arm Slaves are repositioning themselves for the second time."**

**"Uruz 11 here." **Ronald reported in on his status with Shinji. **"Waters near us are quiet too. No sign of any Perionian Navy activity so far. Over."**

**"Wait for another 5 minutes people." **McAllen said, judging his decision based from their reports. **"Hunting ban will be lifted afterwards. Until then, you're not allowed to attack the enemy except in self-defense. Is that clear?"**

**"Yessir!" **The rest of the McAllen team said in unison.

* * *

Outskirts of Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

Ocelot and Wolf assembled the Light Infantrymen teams to hide near the bushes that were near the occupied US/Perionian military base. Taking a pair of binoculars from an Infantryman, Ocelot observed that numerous ARGUS mercenaries and ENIGMA terrorists were manning the camp with both Soviet 2K22M Tunguska-Ms and captured American M6 Linebacker anti-aircraft vehicles aimed at the sky to intercept _hostile _fighter jets or transport aircraft.

"So how we do things around here?" Wolf took aim with her PSG-1 at the base.

"Hold up, you guys. Don't start the fireworks without me."

Ocelot and Wolf turned around to see Liquid and Hawk were approaching them, safe and sound. The Aboriginal had his pet hawk with him, already on his shoulder.

"I see that you already made it." Ocelot spoke to the latecomers. "Looks like the base's manned by enemy forces. Not to mention that they've got captured hardware ready to be used against us at any moment."

"How did you guys make it?" Wolf questioned Liquid and stared at Hawk. "Especially Hawk, since he has that hawk with him?"

The Australian aboriginal was quick to defend himself, "The gods were responsible for my friend's safety."

_Okay! I'll forget that I ever asked Hawk about that today._

"Understood." The British-raised man nodded. "However, I must tell you that RAINBOW forces were already in the area as we speak, probably aiming for the same objective as us."

"Did the Perionian government call for them?" The Kurdish sniper asked, still aiming her weapon at Camp Hewlett.

"Most likely," Liquid nodded. "with American support."

"So what do we do?" Ocelot grabbed one of his Colt SAA revolvers with his left hand and began to twirl it around like what cowboys in the old days. "Do we attack?"

Liquid studied the situation when he eyed the armed men either patrolling or guarding the facility. "We'll need to take out their sentries first..."

* * *

Nerve Gas Warehouse, Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

Novikov and the rest of his RAINBOW team were already inside the camp's nerve gas disposal warehouse, minutes after sneaking inside with their silenced small arms to kill off the ARGUS mercenaries before hiding their corpses. The team had entered through the rear after sneaking it by using one of the captured M35 trucks from the base to infiltrate inside.

"Looks like they're still trying to assemble some bombs from the nerve gas canisters." Woo pointed to an indigenous bomb made up of four nerve gas canisters with C-4 placed on it with some explosives placed on it with a detonator mounted on it.

"I'll get to work." Beckenbauer began to grab his anti-explosives kit from his vest after he slinged his G36K carbine. "Gather all the bombs from the warehouse and place them in a safe spot so I can work on them without being exposed to gunfire."

"Right." Novikov nodded and gave the order to the other RAINBOW operators. "You guys, gather all the bombs assembled so far and look for a spot in the warehouse where the enemy can't find Beckenbauer."

"Yessir." The entire RAINBOW team, excluding Beckenbauer, said in unison as they silently gathered the indigenous nerve gas bombs without making them fall down or doing any unnecessary noises for fear of drawing unwanted enemy attention.

* * *

Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean near Berildaobu, Perio

**"All righty." **McAllen again communicated with the other SRT operators, as 5 minutes had already elapsed. **"Hunting ban's lifted. Go attack!"**

**"Yessir!" **Sousuke was the first to move towards Berildaobu, accelerating the mounted underwater propulsion pack on his Arbalest to boost himself towards the Berildaobu shores. He was followed by Shinji, in his M9E, and Ronald in his Falke. The two did the same thing with their underwater propulsion packs, boosting their acceleration towards the shores as well.

Moments later, the Arbalest was the first to land on Berildaobu with its underwater pack removed from its system and disengaged as they were no longer needed for land warfare operations.

* * *

Outskirts of Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

"Something's up." Liquid whispered to his comrades, watching the assembled ARGUS/ENIGMA force being mobilized to take on the unknown intruder with Soviet-made Zy-98 Shadows, Tunguska-Ms and some Linebackers were being dispatched towards the harbor of Berildaobu. "Well looks like stealth's out of the question here."

"We can use the distraction to disable the enemy and their equipment at one full blow." suggested Hawk, prone on the ground with Liquid, Ocelot, Wolf and the rest of their Light Infantrymen subordinates. Surprisingly, his hawk had been quiet without making a single noise at all. "That why, we won't have to worry about being detected."

"Good idea." The blonde agreed with Hawk's suggestion. Seeing that there were less sentries in Camp Hewlett, a smirk appeared on Liquid's face.

"I assume that you've got something up your sleeve." Ocelot raised an eyebrow after seeing Liquid's smirk.

"Yeah."

"Well? What is it? I'd like to hear about it..."

"First of all," Liquid pointed to one of the Linebackers in the camp. "I'll need someone to led a few of our men with explosives experiences to bomb the triple-As out of commission." He then pointed to the warehouses where the nerve gas canisters were being stored. "The nerve gas canisters in the warehouses are next. I'll go and lead a team to secure it before we can get to the hostages."

"And me?" Wolf asked Liquid, holding her PSG-1 in her arms.

"Get a sniping spot in the base and see if you can take a bead from inside the main administrative building."

"Understood."

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

Sousuke had the Arbalest charge towards one of the Shadows when it confronted him. Tackling the Soviet Arm Slave and pinning it to the ground, the Arbalest armed itself with the Oto Melara Boxer shotcannon from its multiple armament hip latch and fired two rounds into the Shadow's waist.

"All right, it's disabled." Sousuke stood up, seeing that his target was disabled. Scanning his area, Sousuke saw that Shinji and Ronald were now on the move, attacking various Shadows and 2K22M Tunguska-Ms SPAAGs that were now focused on their Arm Slaves.

"Take this!" Ronald deactivated his multiple armament hip latch on his Falke and armed it with the MGK assault rifle. The weapon's underbarrel grenade launcher fired off a 50mm grenade that took out a Shadow and a single Tunguska-M in unison. Shinji had fired his GEC-B assault rifle on the incoming Shadows, with 2 Tunguska-M SPAAGs.

Nearby, McAllen took out his M1108 anti-tank dagger and hurled it towards another Tunguska-M that aimed its weapon systems at his M9E Arm Slave. It blew up after the weapon pierced the vehicle's turret.

Gunfire from Kurz and Guen as fire support took out more Shadows that tried to reinforce their comrades fighting Sousuke, Shinji, Ronald and McAllen from Camp Hewlett. So far, so good. The fighting advantage was heading towards MITHRIL's.

* * *

Somewhere inside Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

"What the hell's going on?" One of the ENIGMA terrorists stared at the open battle going on at Berildaobu's shores.

"Don't know man." Another ENIGMA terrorist replied. "From what I heard, they're suppose to be them MITHRIL guys. You know, that anti-terrorist group."

"So they do exist after all? I thought they're just some legend or something from what I heard lately."

"Dammit! Don't you pay attention around us lately? When you're in the terrorism business, you should've been able to hear about MITHRIL sooner or later."

"Er, right. Sorry about that."

The conversation between the two ENIGMA terrorists ended abruptly when a loud gunshot was heard nearby, which was soon followed by the deaths of one of the sentries after being shot in the head from the back.

"What the hell?" The other ENIGMA terrorist crouched and aimed his IMI Galil SAR rifle at his surroundings, as with the other ENIGMA and ARGUS mercenaries that followed suit.

* * *

Rooftop, APC Hangar, Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

"I've got you now..."

Wolf purred when she got the second ENIGMA terrorist on her sights. She was about to fire her PSG-1 when she got an incoming transmission.

**"How goes the hunt, Wolf?"**

The Kurdish woman sighed, the message had been from Liquid.

**"I've managed to get some of their attention. What about you?"**

**"Splendid job on our ends. I've been able to work things out with the RAINBOW team in securing the nerve gas canisters in the warehouse nearby. Hawk got in touch with me and informed me that his team's been able to plant C-4s on the Tunguska-MS and the Linebackers..."**

**"Sounds good to me." **Wolf kept her focus on her previous target. **"All I need is some sort of distraction..."**

A series of controlled explosions took place throughout the camp, destroying the enemy's anti-aircraft capabilities for good.

"What the hell's that?"

"We're under attack!"

"From who? There doesn't seem to be anyone around here?"

With all the distraction that Wolf needed, she fired another 7.62 NATO into the skull of her target. The second ENIGMA terrorist was killed instantly the moment the projectile entered through his right temple.

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

**"Status." **McAllen radioed in to his SRT subordinates, moments after he fired his GEC-B rifle on the last Shadow that tried to attack him.

**"Looks clear to me, sir." **Guen radioed back to McAllen. **"I don't see any enemy ASes nor SPAAG units."**

**"Same here, sir." **John reported back to McAllen. **"Not since the enemy's being kept busy by other forces in the area."**

**"Proceed." **McAllen ordered. **"We need to get to Camp Hewlett and secure the entire base."**

**"Yessir!"**

As the MITHRIL AS squad advanced towards Camp Hewlett, Red Fox's red-colored Shadow materialized near the group with its ECS disabled. It brandished its monomolecular cutter towards the group and pointed its blade towards them.

**"I'll take him." **Ronald responded to the red AS's threat by drawing out his IMI Crimson Edge cutter, also ready to fight. **"You better go ahead and get Gauron, sir."**

McAllen hesitated for a bit before he responded, **"All right. Just keep him busy while the rest of us go after Gauron."**

* * *

Entrance, main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

Machine Gun Kid, armed with his FN M249 Para LMG, and Bushmaster were engaged in a gunbattle with some ARGUS mercenaries against FOXHOUND Light Infantrymen after seeing that their anti-aircraft assets were taken out by C-4 explosion.

"Dammit!" Kid used his M249 Para to conduct suppressive fire. "I had a bad feeling that sending the Shadows and Tunguska-Ms out there was a bad idea!"

"Shut it and start shooting!" Bushmaster had his IMI Galil Tzalafim at the ready and fired pot shots at the incoming Light Infantrymen. "We're at a disadvantage here! Everyone else, start making a path for all of us to retreat, now!"

"Right..." Kid gritted his teeth, who reloaded his weapon while Bushmaster and several ARGUS mercenaries provided him cover fire.

However, the British mercenary's life came to an end when he had been shot in the forehead.

* * *

Rooftop, APC Hangar, Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

"Gotcha!" grinned Wolf, seeing the 7.62 NATO cartridge ejected from her PSG-1. Her actions were retaliated by automatic gunfire in her direction, plus an attempt by an armed ENIGMA terrorist with a Saab AT4 anti-tank weapon aimed at the rooftop of the camp's APC hangar.

"Damn you..." Wolf hissed at the ENIGMA anti-tank trooper. Using the mounted Hendsoldt 6x42 mm scope, she focused her weapon on the trooper's head and squeezed off a shot at him. Wolf grinned when the trooper collapsed on the ground with a bullet hole on his head without firing the anti-tank weapon meant for her.

**"Get out of there, Wolf!" **Liquid warned her too late as her position came under a hail of gunfire once again.

**"Understood. I'll relocate to another position at once."**

* * *

Near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

McAllen and the rest of the SRT squad, minus Ronald as he was engaging Red Fox's Shadow, came towards the 6-storey building near the vicinity of Camp Hewlett. So far, there were no enemies aside from a few seconds of sporadic gunfire in the base itself.

**"Everything looks quiet so far." **McAllen observed the area. **"Keep your guard up!"**

**"Up there..." **Kurz warned the group, referring to the rooftop of the main building.

**"What the hell's that?" **Melissa gasped, seeing the red Arm Slave that Kalinin had debriefed the SRT operators assigned to the Berildaobu operation.

**"It's Venom!" **Guen shouted. **"It's that dang Venom!"**

**"Greetings, everyone at MITHRIL!" **Gauron's voice was heard from his Codarl-I. It then raised its AK-87 gatling cannon at the assembled group. **"I missed you all so much!"**

**"Everyone!" **McAllen ordered his entire team. **"Take cover! He's got a gatling cannon!"**

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

"There's something familiar about him..."

Ronald had previously clashed with the red Shadow, using their monomolecular cutters as their only weapons when their blades came into contact before breaking off with each other. _I'll have to turn this situation around..._

Anticipating a thrust meant for the cockpit, Ronald sidestepped to the right and tried to slash the Shadow's left arm off. The Shadow merely responded by changing tactics from the failed thrust to an upward slash, surprising the masked SRT operator.

_Kuso! He was able to see that... the it must be him. Honing his skills like that reminded me of someone in Zanzibar Land.._

**"Incoming message from unknown Arm Slave."**

"What?" Ronald was confused on what he had heard from Anna. **"All right. Put it on, Anna." **Ronald maintained his defense, holding his Crimson Edge like a broadsword.

**"Hey there. Remember me?"**

"That voice?"

* * *

Near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

**"Damnit!" **Kurz cursed, ducking with Guen on a large rock used to protect themselves from the hail of bullets based from Gauron's AK-87.

**"Can you get a shot off, Weber?" **McAllen radioed the German SRT operator.

**"Not unless I can get a clear line of fire, sir." **

**"Same here too. Those bullets will distract me." **Guen radioed the same concern.

Sousuke, for a split second, managed to fire off a single shot from his Boxer as he had also ducked behind a large rock with McAllen. The shot went off towards a part of the building since the Arbalest had fired the weapon under blind fire.

"I guess there's no luck..." Sousuke sighed, hearing that the gunfire from the AK-87 was rapidly increasing without any signs of stopping.

**"Uruz 7, go get him!" **McAllen ordered Sousuke, leading the others to fire using their GEC-B rifles. **"All others unit, fall back and give Uruz 7 support."**

**"Understood, Uruz 1!"**

Sousuke had the Arbalest move towards Gauron, who had the Codarl-I's Lamba Driver activated to protect himself from the GEC-B's rifle bullets while turning off for a few seconds to fire off his AK-87 to prevent McAllen and the other SRT operators from giving Sousuke the backup he needs.

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

**"Why?" **Ronald raised his Crimson Edge and brought it down on Red Fox's Shadow. The Shadow, however, dodged it by moving left and right at a fast pace. **"Why, Chen? Why are you with the enemy?"**

**"Who knows?" **Red Fox withdrew his monomolecular cutter and armed himself with the BK-540 assault rifle. **"I just want to be with a group that has a winning streak, that's all."**

**"Bastard..." **Seeing the inevitable, Ronald shouted to his Falke AI. **"Anna, get the Lambda Driver running..."**

The Lamba Driver had worked, protecting the Falke for a few seconds and repelling gunfire from the BK-540 before the barrage ended. Instead, the red Shadow hurled a short monomolecular cutter straight for Ronald.

**"Anna. Incoming projectile. Get the Lambda Driver running."**

There was no response from Anna.

**"Anna! Didn't you hear me?"**

Again, no response.

"Crap!" Ronald got his MGK rifle up and aimed for the incoming projectile when he selected the full automatic setting. "Anna's not responding to me..."

The gunfire had worked; the thrown cutter was repelled and destroyed from the MGK's 35 mm bullets. Ronald fired the MGK's underbarrel grenade launcher. But alas, the Shadow disappeared with its ECS activated.

"Where'd it go?" Ronald watched the launched 50 mm grenade land on solid ground, not hitting its target.

* * *

Near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

**"Uruz 2 here!" **Sousuke heard Melissa on his radio while trying to advance on Gauron. **"Try going for his weapon instead of taking out the Venom ahead."**

**"Good idea." **McAllen agreed with his second-in-command. **"Everyone, try aiming for the gatling cannon that Venom has."**

Sousuke too followed up on Melissa's suggestion and aimed his Boxer for the linked ammunition connected to the AK-87.

An explosion. A well-aimed shot took out the Codarl-I's AK-87.

**"Who took that shot?" **McAllen asked.

**"Me, sir." **Shinji came up. **"I fired at the magazine under Uruz 2's suggestion."**

**"Good work." **McAllen praised Shinji for his work. **"Problem is, did we take him out?"**

Smoke was still around from the building's roof until the Codarl-I leaped from the roof and landed near the Arbalest and Melissa's M9E.

* * *

Somewhere inside Camp Hewlett, Berildaobu, Perio

"Move the hostages away from the camp, now!"

Liquid directed the Light Infantrymen covering some of their comrades to escort the hostages from the base, apparently discovered in another warehouse by Ocelot and Hawk, towards an unknown safe area designated by the Soviet gunslinger in the forests on the base's outskirts while Wolf led another group of Light Infantrymen to guard the nerve gas canister warehouse from being retaken by the enemy. RAINBOW operatives led by Novikov gladly joined in the fight, as they had a much common enemy.

"It seems like they're retreating!" Ocelot shouted, doing some of his tricks with both of his Colt SAA revolvers when he twisted his arms and elbows to shoot at his enemies while ensuring that most of his .45 Colt bullets ricochet from the gravel to hit the ARGUS and ENIGMA troopers from places where the Infantrymen could not shoot them. "Okay, got one." Ocelot saw that one of the .45 Colt bullets ricocheted from the gravel to the guard tower to hit an ARGUS mercenary by the throat with another on the back of a retreating ENIGMA soldier after he twirled his right hand and fired the SAA revolver held on it. "Or maybe another."

"Doesn't matter." Liquid took a Colt M4A1 carbine from a dead ARGUS mercenary, lending assistance to the mustached man. "All we need is time for the hostages to get out." He then fired his weapon until its magazine capacity was empty.

Nearby, Hawk hurled his two giant boomerangs to take out a platoon of ARGUS mercenaries trying to reinforce their comrades with his hawk distracting them before the boomerangs got to the arriving enemy reinforcements.

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

"Bastard used ECS." Ronald scanned the area for signs of the Shadow, but with no luck so far.

"What the?" Ronald saw the Shadow materialize to his left, about to swing its monomolecular cutter at him. He swiftly countered by executing a strong diagonal slash that temporarily disoriented his enemy before the Shadow disappeared again.

"Being the coward now, are we?" With the Shadow hiding under the guise of ECS, Ronald continued to keep his guard up, less that he'd be killed by a sneak attack on his rear.

* * *

Near main building, somewhere in Berildaobu, Perio

**"Prepare to get some!" **Gauron had his left thumb and index extended, Lamba Driver energy being generated.

**"AL, get the Lamba Driver up now!" **Sousuke ordered. Unfortunately like Ronald, the Arbalest's AI wouldn't respond.

**"AL! What's wrong? Answer me!"**

**"Sousuke, look out!" **Melissa was about to help Sousuke when Gauron had his left hand aimed at Melissa.

**"Say goodnight." **Gauron chuckled when a barrage of automatic gunfire went for the Codarl-I's left hand, forcing the Amalgam-hired terrorist to activate his Arm Slave's Lamba Driver shield. **"Who the hell?"**

**"I got him distracted!" **Shinji yelled before he tackled Melissa's M9E. The Lamba Driver projectile was still fired, but missed owning to Shinji's timed intervention. If it even went for a part of the Chinese-American's M9E, she would've been heavily injured, but not at least dead. **"Lead him outta here!"**

**"Got it!" **Sousuke led the Arbalest away from the Codarl-I, forcing Gauron to pursue him with his monomolecular cutter. After running for 10 minutes, the Arbalest turned around and fired off a few shots from his Boxer before it ran again.

* * *

Somewhere near the shores of Berildaobu, Perio

"Again?" Ronald saw the Shadow materialize again, but this time leaping straight for him. "Damn! Gotta use the Falke's CIWS or else..."

Allowing the Falke to fall back on the ground, Ronald activated its AM-11 CIWS and fired its .50 BMG bullets at the Shadow's body.

"Come on, come on. Hit!" The Chinese-Filipino gritted his teeth, getting his CIWS to target the Shadow's chest and waist regions in order for most of the bullets to hit the cockpit and injure the pilot, but not to kill him. _As much as I want to kill him, he's a valuable person worth of intelligence._

Rolling the Falke on the side, Ronald watched the Shadow land on the grass on its belly. It remained motionless as Ronald got up from the ground.

_Gotta hurry and help Sousuke..._

With the urge to save Sousuke from Gauron, Ronald moved towards the direction of Camp Hewlett.

* * *

En route to main building, Berildaobu, Perio

"Gotta move!" Sousuke dashed and fired his Boxer at the same time, trying to gain distance between him and Gauron.

**"Come now, Kashim..." **Gauron chuckled. **"We weren't like this in the old days..."**

**"Sousuke! It's me!" **Ronald's voice came on the Arbalest's radio. **"What happened?"**

**"Gauron's AK-87 was disabled back on the building near Camp Hewlett." **Sousuke explained his situation to Ronald. **"Right now, I'm trying to gain some distance between me and him."**

**"Sousuke, it's me Kurz!" **Kurz was the next to radio in. **"Listen! Head back to the building where you guys met up with Venom. I've got an idea."**

**"All right..." **Sousuke was a bit hesitant. **"But it better be good."**

**"If it's Kurz..." **Ronald reassured his SRT comrade. **"Then he's bound to have a plan."**

* * *

Outside main building, Berildaobu, Perio

**"Stop right there, Sousuke." **

Sousuke did as Kurz told him, halting near the main building where Sousuke and the others had first encountered Gauron's Codarl-I.

**"So now you're making a stand here?" **Gauron charged at the Arbalest, his monomolecular cutter at the ready. **"This should be interesting!"**

A hail of gunfire from Kurz's Bofors ASG96-B and Ronald's 50 mm grenade from his MGK's underbarrel grenade launcher on the building literally brought the whole structure down on Gauron. At the last minute, Sousuke dashed out of the way and avoided being crushed by its large debris as it fell down on the Codarl-I without giving it a chane to evade from it.

* * *

"Is he down?" Melissa was the first to arrive at the debris, her GEC-B rifle trained at it. Moments later, McAllen led the others towards it as well with their rifles aimed at it should the Codarl-I try to make a move. Ronald had arrived as well, ejecting the used shell casing of the 50 mm grenade out of the underbarrel grenade launcher.

**"I need a weapon. My shotcannon's out." **Melissa handed her GEC-B to Sousuke, who went for the debris and aimed at the Codarl-I. Seconds later, the cockpit hatch was open and Gauron came out with his hands in the air.

_What the? Gauron already surrendering? But it's not like him._

"All right, Kashim and company." Gauron sighed and raised his hands up as the GEC-B's barrel was trained on him. "I give up, you guys win."

_Why you! _Sousuke saw Gauron smirk at the Arbalest.

"Come on now. You guys win."

Sousuke's hands began to shake, already been tempted to fire the rifle on the Arbalest's hands.

"If you're gonna shoot," Gauron grinned even more. "better do it now Kashim or you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

**"You son of a -!" **Furious at Gauron's taunts, Sousuke aimed a bit to the terrorist's right and fired at semi-auto before a radio message was transmitted to him.

**"Uruz 7, I'm ordering you to stand down! Our orders are to take him alive, not dead! Is that clear?"**

Sousuke lowered his weapon, obeying his order.

**"Yes sir, Uruz 1."**

* * *

Near shores of Berildaobu, Perio

With the situation under cover, various Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mares were brought in from TDD-1 to secure the island. The Perionian Navy, upon receiving news of the situation, withdrew their naval blockade and deployed in commandos of the Perionian Army's Rapid Strike Force to secure Camp Hewlett and retrieve the bodies of their dead colleagues.

Likewise, Liquid ordered the additional deployment of FOXHOUND Light Infantrymen from USAF Clark Air Base to secure the interior of Camp Hewlett and the stored nerve gas canisters with the hostages being escorted by Novikov's RAINBOW team and a small number of RSF commandos and Light Infantrymen towards a waiting Perionian Air Force Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter.

Sousuke watched some of the hostages being led inside the UH-60A by RSF commandos. He noted that most of them were wearing American-based Woodland BDUs with tactical vests and black balaclavas; they were also armed with Heckler and Koch UMP45 submachine guns and Pindad SS-1R5 Raider assault carbines.

"Are you still down by what happened back there?" Sousuke turned around to see Kurz, Melissa, Lian and Shinji staring at him.

"You guys..." Sousuke was about to say something when Melissa was the first to speak.

"I'll have to thank Uruz 11 for saving me." Melissa patted Shinji's shoulder. "But still, you did the job right? Without you, I would've been killed."

Sousuke looked at the ground, feeling a bit ashamed.

"She's right you know." Lian smiled. "Besides, you were able to take down Gauron with Kurz and Uruz 11." The Singaporean PRT operator spoke up to encourage Sousuke about his job. "Well, maybe except when I heard that you were about to riddle him with AS-sized bullets."

"Er...yeah." Sousuke felt a bit ashamed when his temper got the best of him. "Pardon me about that."

"Lighten up a bit, mate." Kurz ran up and placed Sousuke in a headlock. "You oughta be glad that the operation's over. We can all relax for the meantime."

* * *

Outside Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare, shores of Berildaobu, Perio

"Hey Ivan!" Gauron grinned, greeting Kalinin while being escorted by a pair of armed PRT operator with tactical vests, balaclavas and Fabrique Nationale P90 submachine guns. "Am I glad to see you or what?"

"What are you up to?" The Soviet officer questioned Gauron. "You don't act like that Gauron, so what gives?"

"Me?" Gauron asked, feeling that he didn't know what Kalinin was talking about. "Sorry, Ivan. I'm not sure on how I should answer that."

"Mark my words." Kalinin eyed Gauron like some evil psycho who should've been locked up in an asylum. "When I'm through with getting your confession and your plans, I'm going to make sure that scum like you were never born on this planet."

"Right. Whatever." Gauron purposely shoved Kalinin on his left shoulder when he was being escorted towards the MH-67.

"Take this monstrosity away from my sight."

"Sir!" replied one of the PRT operators.

"Greetings." Liquid greeted Kalinin. Accompanying him was Novikov, representing RAINBOW, and SRT commander McAllen.

"I never realized that RAINBOW and FOXHOUND would have their forces deployed."

"Nor have I, comrade." Novikov had his hand out.

"A fellow Soviet?" Kalinin shook hands with Novikov. "Never would I thought that I'd see another one of my countrymen."

"I've heard of the name Kalinin." Novikov explained himself. "I heard rumors about what happened to you when I did some work with the KGB when I was with Spetsnaz."

"I see."

"Sir." McAllen saluted Kalinin. "I believe there's something you want to discuss with me."

"Yes." Kalinin then spoke to both Liquid and Novikov. "But I'd still like to thank you both for assisting our forces by taking most of the load away from us."

Liquid smirked. "It was no problem at all, Andrei Kalinin." He then ran his hand through his blonde hair. "After all, the man who you're fighting with happens to be our enemy too."

"Of course." Kalinin replied. "If you would excuse me." Kalinin saluted Liquid and Novikov. "I have some business to take care of."

"Understood." Novikov answered, saluting his Soviet countryman. Liquid did the same as well.

"Come with me, McAllen." Kalinin walked towards one of the Shadow's remains. "There's something that we need to discuss."

"What's this about, Commander?"

"I've received some reports from HQ regarding some possible defectors from the TDD-1 crew..."

* * *

Red Fox's wrecked Shadow, shores of Berildaobu, Perio

Surrounded by armed PRT troopers and FOXHOUND Light Infantrymen, Ronald climbed the back of the downed Shadow and twisted the latch on top of the cockpit hatch to open it. He then drew out his Glock 34 from his tactical vest and aimed at the interior, waiting for some sort of resistance. He had been called to the area by Christine "Chris" Jenner and Allen Ishiba, the former had informed him that the Shadow had been cordoned off.

"So I'm defeated eh? What a shame..."

Raising his eyebrow, Ronald held his Glock 34 on his left hand while he used his right to remove the safety harness from his enemy. "It was just like you. You used speed and agility on most of the Arm Slaves and Military Labors by customizing them with parts to make them move fast back in the war."

"Indeed." Red Fox sighed and closed his eyes, knowing of his defeat.

"Tell me, Chen Siu Wen." The masked Zanzibar Land Independence veteran questioned his ex-comrade. "Gauron surrendered to us after his machine was disabled and your other pals have abandoned you. Tell me and tell me straight, does he have something up his sleeve?"

Red Fox smirked, his head bleeding. He didn't bother to respond to Ronald's question.

"Answer me!" Ronald placed the Glock 34's barrel on the wounded mercenary's head.

"I'll tell you this..." Red Fox coughed. "Sooner or later, you'll experience the unexpected as part of MITHRIL's downfall."

"Downfall? What do you mean?"

The Singaporean Zanzibar Land War veteran/mercenary went to breath his last, his life expired with a cocky smirk on his face and his eyes closed.

"I need some help here!" Ronald holstered his sidearm and got assistance from Chris and Allen to remove Red Fox's corpse from the wrecked Shadow after he examined his pulse to note that he was dead for good.

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Already back in the TDD-1, Sousuke, Kurz, Shinji and Ronald watched as the MH-67 carrying Kalinin and Allen in the rising lift was ascending towards the surface. All of them were still wearing their Arm Slave pilot suits.

"Looks like the Commander's going out." Sousuke remarked, seeing Allen only with a tactical vest and being armed with an FN P90 submachine gun and his SIG SP 2009 pistol before he entered the chopper with Kalinin.

"Said he's going to negotiate with the Americans." Ronald commented, shrugging his shoulders.

Kurz scratched behind his left ear. "I wonder what that was about."

"Guys!"

The four SRT operators turned their heads around to see Kaname was running to them.

"I heard you guys are alive!" Kaname was smiling, especially towards Sousuke. "For a second, I thought that something happened to you."

Sousuke shook his head. "That was Sergeant Major Mao. She was almost attacked by the enemy when he saved her." He used his right thumb to point Shinji to her, who was always masked like Ronald to hide his identity.

"It was nothing, really." Shinji chuckled. "All in a day's work."

"Greetings everyone." Dr. Goldberry greeted the four, excluding Kaname, after she arrived in the hangar. "I'm glad to see all of you are in good shape after what happened in the Berildaobu operation."

"Thanks, doc." Ronald replied to the doctor. "Is there something that we have to do?"

"I do need you guys to come see me in the infirmary when you're done with your business here."

"But none of us were injured." Sousuke objected to the doctor's request.

Dr. Goldberry shook her head. "Wasn't my idea. I was told by the captain and Commander Kalinin. Their orders."

Shinji shrugged his shoulders. "Guess we have no choice but to listen to them."

"If you all follow me please..." The African-American doctor ushered her incoming patients to follow her towards the directions of her infirmary.

* * *

Outside Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald was walking outside the armory, clad still in his SRT uniform, balaclava and his Zanzibar Land Guards beret except for the Armored Muscle Suit as he took it off prior to his checkup under Dr. Goldberry back in her infirmary.

"Hey, Ronald."

The masked mercenary was greeted from inside the armory by Claude McClane, who was one of the armorers assigned from Merida Island to the TDD-1. A blonde, Canadian man in his middle 30s, he had seen service in East Timor and in the Central African Republic under UN peaceckeeping operation before he was recruited by MITHRIL.

"Claude." Ronald greeted the Canadian PRT operator. "What can I do for you today?"

"Ah..." Claude scratched his brown hair for a bit. "You mind if you can do me a favor? It'll be fast."

"Errr..." Ronald thought about considering the man's request before he eventually agreed. "Sure, why not? It's not like I have to do anything after Berildaobu."

Claude slipped him a piece of paper. "Can you tell Lian that his request for maintenance on his sidearm's already done." Ronald picked the paper up and read it. "He can pick it up anytime today from yours truly."

"All right." Ronald nodded, taking the paper with him when he waved it before Claude's face. "I'll go and see him. If I recall, he should be guarding the prisoner with the new guy John Danigan in one of the empty storage rooms near the briefing room."

* * *

Empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

John Danigan and Lian Shaopin, appearing unarmed, were guarding Gauron in one of the TDD-1's storage rooms. Restrained under a straitjacket and placed under a chair with leather straps on, it seemed that the scarred terrorist and Zanzibar Land War veteran wouldn't be able to get out. And even if he did so, Gauron would need to restrain, subdue or kill the two guards in front of him.

Lian yawned loudly and stretched his arms and legs. John stared at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" John yelled at Lian. "Be on the alert. You can't just let your guard down." The scarred mercenary glared at Gauron. "Not even with him."

"Come on." The PRT operator insisted to his SRT counterpart. "There's no way he can get out of that. I mean, unless he's a circus escape artist or something..."

"Still." John huffed. _I can't believe this guy. _"It doesn't give you the excuse to let your guard down when you're assigned on guard duty."

"I see." Lian chuckled.

"Hello." Ronald entered the room, greeting the two men. "How are things around here?"

"Quite boring, I tell ya." John told his fellow SRT operator of his frustration on being held for guard duty. "Haven't been this bored on being a guard for this guy here."

"Yo. S'up?" Gauron greeted Ronald. However, Ronald was not kind to return the courtesy back to Gauron since he's a wanted terrorist.

"Shut it." Ronald glared at Gauron. "I'm not in the mood to greet you."

Gauron simply smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Hey Lian." Ronald faced the Singaporean PRT operator. "I need to speak with you outside." Ronald once more took another glare at Gauron before he stepped outside the storage room.

* * *

Outside empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald led Lian away from the storage room until the two were standing near an intersection, safe for now from Gauron's prying ears. Though it wouldn't matter to him on what kind of weapons Lian has, it was better to be safe than to be sorry in the long run.

"So what's up?" Lian asked Ronald, removing his glasses to wipe off the dust from its lenses with his handkerchief.

"Claude made me do an errand, but he was suppose to see you." Ronald handed it the paper given to him a few minutes ago by the armorer. "Here you go."

Lian took the paper from Ronald. "Thanks."

* * *

Empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Hmmm?"

Gauron eyed John, who took a peek outside the storage room. He reached out onto the waistband of his olive green pants and drew out a Ruger P85 pistol.

"Time to get myself into action and get my part of the deal taken care of." The ex-82 Airborne Division trooper murmured, getting the silencer inserted onto the barrel of his sidearm.

* * *

Outside empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Ohh..." Lian read the paper given to him by Ronald. He chuckled. "This was the request that I asked Claude to check on my sidearm if it was okay?"

Ronald asked. "Was there something wrong with it in any way?"

"Well," Lian scratched his black hair. "I did some target practice back at Merida when it jammed on me. Though I cleared the jam, I thought it'd be best if Claude can take a good look at it and see what's wrong with it."

"A pistol jam?" Ronald raised an eyebrow. "I thought that it can be easily cleared up by yourself while you're in the range."

"Yeah, but like I said. I thought that Claude can maybe check it."

"Never mind." Ronald shook his head. "I just wanted to be clear with you anyway."

Unknown to the two mercenaries, they were being observed under the watchful of John. Even much worse, the now silenced barrel of his Ruger P85 was aimed at the back of Lian's head without him being aware of it.

* * *

Corridor, near empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_I wonder if Sousuke's still at the clinic doing his checkup?_

Kaname decided to walk in one of the assault submarine's many corridors to search for her friend, while not being aware of what was going to occur near the storage room where Gauron was temporarily being held prisoner.

"I just hope I can see him." Kaname was about to enter the corridor where the storage room was when she spotted John attempting to aim his silenced weapon at his own comrades behind their backs.

"Hey!" Kaname shouted to John.

* * *

Outside empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What the?" John had been alarmed by the unknown intruder, which forced him to fire his weapon off his target. The 9mm bullet ricocheted off the wall a few times without hitting John or his intended targets.

"Lian! Get down!" Ronald pushed Lian down, covering him by taking refuge on another corridor.

"Freeze!" John turned around to see Guen aim his Heckler and Koch USP Expert at Kaname's head with her hands up.

"There you are." John sighed. "For a moment, I thought they got you."

"Not me really." The Vietnamese SRT operator proceeded to knock Kaname unconscious by striking his USP Expert's pistol grip at the base of her neck.

"I'll take her." John took the unconscious Kaname into his arms. Guen fired a few shots from his USP Expert when he spotted Ronald attempting to peek from the corner.

"You have the stuff for our man, John?" Guen had his sidearm on his side after seeing that Ronald and Lian didn't attempt to fight them.

"Yeah." John nodded. "It's in the room."

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"I heard something." Kurz heard something echo in the corridor. He was now wearing his SRT uniform pants, white shirt and suspenders.

"I did so too." McAllen mused, sharing the same thought. Melissa and Shinji were with him, the three of them wearing their SRT uniforms only.

"Either that's me..." Shinji sighed. "or is that a real gunshot fired on the TDD-1?"

"What do we do then?" Melissa asked McAllen.

"We go." McAllen ran down the corridor to the direction of the storage room. "And see what actually happened back there."

* * *

Empty Storage Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"I'll have to thank you lads for saving my tail."

Gauron stretched out of the straitjacket placed on him ever since the TDD-1 had left Berildaobu.

"We're fine with that." John handed Gauron a PRT uniform.

"I haven't got your names yet."

"I'm John." John pointed to himself. "John Danigan." He then pointed to Guen standing guard over the unconscious Kaname. "He's Guen Bien Bo."

"Nice to meet you John." Gauron smirked before he faced Guen. "Guen" _Looks like they're the contacts that I was told of by Mr. Silver and Gold._

"Hey." Guen raised an eyebrow towards Gauron. "I wouldn't suggest if you're trying to get friendly with us."

"Yeah." John huffed, sharing Guen's sentiments. "Only a few people would call us by our first names, punk."

Gauron smirked even more at John. "So does that also apply to the _You can't tell us what to do... _then?"

"You got that straight." With John's back facing Gauron, the scarred terrorist when to his act by grabbing his target from behind and throwing him to the ground before he took his Ruger P85.

"Hey!" Guen aimed his USP Expert at Gauron, who was aiming John's pistol at his body while he grabbed his head.

"Don't do...anything..." Gauron grinned, pointing the pistol to John's crotch. "Unless you want something bad to happen?"

"Wait a minute..." John was now hesitating.

"I'm afraid that I have to tell you that it's not going to work that way." Gauron had was about to depress the trigger of the P85. "Besides! It's much easier if we work together, right?" Gauron gave an evil smile at Guen and John.

"All right, all right!" John surrendered, not wanting Gauron to shoot at his crotch. "I give! I give!"

Gauron nodded, while maintaining the smirk on his face. "Now that's a lot better."

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What happened?" McAllen, Kurz, Shinji and Melissa caught up with Ronald and Lian, the two running towards their direction.

"Sir, we've got bad news." Lian told the four SRT operators. After a second for Lian to gather his thoughts, he told his colleagues without trying to hide anything. "It's Gauron, sir."

"What?" Kurz was steaming mad when he heard the news.

"It's not all." Ronald continued to back up Lian's answer. "Looks like that he got some help from the new SRT recruits."

"You mean Guen Bien Bo and John Danigan?" Melissa asked. When Ronald made no attempt to deny her answer, McAllen looked dejected.

"I was afraid of this." McAllen told his subordinates. "I was told by the commander to beware of any trouble around the TDD-1."

* * *

"This corridor can take us to the bridge. It's straight ahead of us."

John was leading the way with his silenced P85 at hand while carrying Kaname on her shoulder. Gauron was now wearing a PRT uniform and had his MAC-11 at the ready. Guen covered the rear of the two men, securing the grip of his USP Expert. It was all to their advantage as there was no one in the area who could stop the three from seeking their objective.

"Fine." Gauron answered. "I guess we better hurry."

"Right."

* * *

"The Commander said that there were traitors among us?" Melissa was surprised to hear what McAllen had told them regarding John and Guen's current status. "That really surprised me..."

"She's right." Lian agreed with Melissa's view. "Never in my life would someone from the SRT be the source of the potential traitors."

"I did see some suspicion though." Shinji offered his views to the entire SRT group, plus one PRT operator included in the mix. "The arrival of John and Guen did seem a bit suspicious to me." He shrugged his shoulders. "That's my opinion."

"If I heard right," McAllen further explained to his subordinates. "We weren't suppose to get SRT enlisted personnel in the meantime, but officers instead of them."

"Putting that aside now," Ronald asked his commanding officer. "shouldn't we try to retake the bridge and recapture Gauron before anything happens to the submarine?"

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What the heck's going on?" Tessa was surprised to see the two SRT personnel entering the bridge, with Kaname in tow. "Oh my god..." She failed to notice that they were armed, all aimed at the bridge's crew members.

"Howdy, folks." Tessa's face suddenly turned white when she saw the face of someone in the bridge, someone who she never expected to be here. John dumped Kaname's unconscious body before he trained his sidearm on one of the bridge's crew members.

"Guess what?" Gauron smiled at Tessa, pointing the MAC-11 at her head. "Your SRT subordinates and I have decided to take control of this Toy Box." The bridge crew had their hands raised in the air since their captain was being threatened.

Gauron eyed the crew members carefully, still aiming his weapon at Tessa. "So you guys better behave yourselves and don't fight me or my new friends. Or else," He then eyed Tessa, who felt scared at having a weapon trained at her head. "I won't be sure if this little lady will be safe for long."

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"We better fall back." McAllen gave his orders. "We may have the advantage in manpower against those three, but they've got guns with them. So rushing in isn't a good idea, especially if the captain's in danger."

"Sir!" The gathered group replied.

"But where's Sousuke, sir?" Kurz asked McAllen.

"He was the last to be given a medical checkup by Dr. Goldberry a few minutes ago." McAllen was the first to run, leading the others towards the direction of the infirmary. "Let's pick him up there."

"Then what?" Ronald was the next to ask.

"We better get some weapons." McAllen faced Ronald. "Preferably non-lethal ones. We need to capture Gauron alive. Not to mention Guen and John too since we need to figure out why those two decided to sell us out."

"Right sir." Ronald ran beside McAllen in stopping by the infirmary; Shinji, Kurz and Melissa were right behind him and McAllen. _I just hope Tessa's going to be fine. I'm sure Gauron wouldn't want to hurt her since she was the one who created Dana, the sub's AI system._

Chapter 19 END

PS - Hope you like the chapter. As usual, please read and review and let me know how the chapter was. Chapter title is from episode 21 of Madlax, a recent anime that I've been watching.

For Lian Shaopin's nationality, I don't think it was indicated. Unless there happens to be Gatou-endorsed information regarding it, I'll assume Lian to be Singaporean. Also, does anyone notice the Patlabor reference? I'll add more of them in my sequel fic soon. I promise. XP

As for the upcoming chapter, I'll make sure Shinji gets heavily involved in the fight, as well as with the other guys against Guen and John in hand-to-hand combat. To do this, I'll use the fighting system like the one being implemented for the upcoming video game "The Bourne Conspiracy" for the PS3 and Xbox 360. That doesn't mean that I'll try and put on some Hong Kong martial art actions too, I'm a big fan of HK-made action/adventure flicks too. If you guys don't know what I'm talking about, try the demo and test the unarmed combat system. It's really interesting, I tell ya...


	20. Under Siege

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, Sousuke and Kurz would totally own the traitorous asses of John and Guen without help from Melissa or Kaname to take them on. And yeah, Sousuke would be more epic in saving Kaname as well.

Summary:

With Gauron taking complete control of the TDD-1's bridge, McAllen and the other SRT operators with Lian decide to take further action and recapture Gauron. But with the defection of John Danigan and Guen Bien Bo from the SRT and their actual revelation as traitors assisting Gauron in hijacking the assault submarine, it would make things difficult for the good guys to slowly recapture the TDD-1. Can they defeat Gauron and trump again over his plans? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 20: Under Siege

Infirmary, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"So the submarine's already hijacked? And by Gauron?"

Sousuke, already in his SRT uniform after having his checkup from Dr. Goldberry, asked his SRT comrades. Lian checked outside to see if Gauron or their ex-SRT comrades John or Guen were outside the corridor near the infirmary. Dr. Goldberry was nowhere to be seen after the group went to the infirmary.

"Yeah." Shinji nodded and sighed, answering on behalf of McAllen, Ronald, Kurz and Melissa. "Seems that John Danigan and Guen Bien Bo from the SRT were the traitors that Commander Kalinin told Lieutenant McAllen about."

"I had a feeling those guys were suspicious." Sousuke commented, who was seated on one of the infirmary's empty cots.

"So I guess we head to the armory to get some weapons then, sir?" Ronald asked McAllen, seated next to Sousuke.

McAllen nodded in reply. "That's right. Let's just hope Claude's all right."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"All right folks." Gauron hoped over to the helmsman's station, while Guen and John were busy restraining the other bridge crew members. "I need to have the course set to North 330."

There was no reply from the helmsman. Gauron was furious and pointed his Ingram MAC-11 at his head. "Didn't you hear me?"

"It's all right, captain." The helmsman was beginning to sweat under the threat of potentially being heard.

"Okay then." Gauron shrugged his shoulders and was about to pull the trigger.

"WAIT!"

Tessa shouted, seeing that her helmsman was about to be executed. "Please set course to North 330."

"U-understood." The helmsman nervously nodded before he adjusted the TDD-1's course to the said destination.

"Now that we're done..." Gauron went to sit in the captain's chair and took out an MO disc from the PRT uniform's shirt pocket. "I'm going to take over this little operation." He waved it in front of Tessa, who was corralled aside by Guen under the barrel of his Heckler and Koch USP Expert pistol. "I just had a hard time finding people willing to help me with this. Just shows how money can buy a few pockets, including those from the Engineering Department."

"It... it can't be." Tessa whispered, helplessly watching Gauron insert the disk on the MO drive slot on the right armrest of her own chair while Guen was keeping his aim at the TDD-1 captain.

"Oh ho ho ho ho." Gauron grinned while he waited for all the computer screens in the bridge to turn red. "You better believe it, captain. 'Cause it's happening right now."

**"Welcome Captain Gauron."** began Dana, now corrupted by the MO disk that Gauron had used on the submarine's AI. **"I'm currently awaiting your orders..."**

**"Thanks, Dana." **replied Gauron, relaxing in the captain's chair. **"How's about we start the party with a little evacuation drill?"**

* * *

Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

McAllen slowly opened the door to the armory, taking a peek before he fully opened the door. _Wonder if Claude's alright? We'll need some non-lethal weapons to recapture Gauron, John and Guen alive._

"Anyone in here?"

A rapsy voice came from within the room.

"Hel...p m...e..."

"It's Claude!" Sousuke ran up to see the wounded man, slumped next to the wall while placing his right hand to cover his shoulder wound. "Looks like he's been shot on his left shoulder and leg."

"I'm not sure if the leg's serious." Ronald inspected the wound on Claude's leg. "But the shoulder seems okay. Not a serious wound."

"Don't... worry about me." Claude advised the SRT operators. "You've-gotta stop Guen. The bastard shot me when I wasn't looking."

"How he did wound you?" Melissa asked, taking the nearby medikit.

"Guen said that he needed some 9mm bullets to test if his HK USP Expert's magazines were working." Claude coughed before he continued. "Gave him a box of it. But when I was trying to fix the laces of my boots, I saw Guen install a silencer on his sidearm."

"That's when he made his move?" Lian entered the armory, having finished checking the corridor for signs of the enemy. Claude nodded.

* * *

Outside Bridge, USS Bunker Hill, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_Hmmm.. What a lively bunch. _

The captain of the USS Bunker Hill, a Tieconderoga-class guided missile cruiser of the US Navy, watched as a US Navy Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk helicopter land on the ship's helipad. A US Navy officer with the rank of Rear Admiral emerged from the chopper followed by Kalinin with a briefcase in hand. Allen Ishiba had accompanied Kalinin, Fabrique Nationale P90 submachine gun at the ready and wearing a tactical vest worn over his PRT uniform.

"Sir!" The Bunker Hill's XO emerged out of the bridge, having a piece of paper at hand. "We've verified the location of one of our nuclear submarines. Distance 2-3-0. It's the Pasedena."

The captain sighed. _That's Sailor's outfit. What do I do now?_

"Should we respond to them?" The XO waited for a reply from his superior.

"No." The captain shook his head. "Tell them to go away and leave me alone."

"Sir?" The XO was confused.

"That's part of the tricks in the Navy use to retire without causing trouble."

"Really? Is there such a trick like that?"

Seeing that his XO didn't understand what he was saying, the captain decided not to bother with the issue any more.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Everything had seemingly been in place. Gauron, with the help of the _corrupted _AI Dana, was now in control of the assault submarine with the help of rogue SRT operators John Danigan and Guen Bien Bo. With the exception of Tessa, Kaname and the bridge crew, the other crew members, SRT/PRT personnel and officers were not aware of what had been going on and assumed that an unannounced fire drill was going on en route to Merida Island. Tessa and Kaname were seated on the bridge's floor, as ordered by Guen at gunpoint.

Unknown to the scarred terrorist/mercenary, Tessa had surreptitiously slipped a piece of folded paper and a key to Kaname.

_Miss Kaname. _Tessa resonated with Kaname, getting her attention after she gave the paper and key to her behind the latter's back without getting Gauron's attention. _Take this._

When Kaname stared at Tessa after getting the folded paper and key from the Whispered officer with her right hand behind her back, Tessa began to explain to her. _Listen to me. The key I gave you is for my safe in my private office in the submarine. In there is another key called the Universal Key._

_The Universal Key... _Kaname was startled to hear the _key's _specific name.

_Go to the Central Computer Room on the third deck for Lady Chapel, the heart of Dana._

_Okay... _Kaname seemingly understood her instructions.

Tessa gave out the rest of her instructions to the sky blue-haired girl. _After you find Dana in Lady Chapel, be sure to resonate with me one more time._

_W-wait a second! Lady Chapel? What the heck's that? _Kaname was a bit hesitant with Tessa's request.

_I'm not an athlete. _Tessa told Kaname. _You're the only chance I've got._

"BUT THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Kaname blurted out. When she realized what she did, she covered her mouth with her left hand.

* * *

Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Get everything ready, folks." McAllen said, checking outside for any signs of Gauron or his now ex-SRT subordinates.

While Lian and Kurz were attending to Claude's wounds, Melissa and Shinji gathered two M26 Taser pistols and two steel handcuffs in their respective cases.

"Sir." Ronald called for McAllen's attention. "We've got the things needed to subdue Guen and John."

"With all respect," Kurz spoke to McAllen, tending to Claude's leg wound. "I'm not totally sure if we can subdue Gauron. I mean, we can take care of Guen and John. But do we have a plan for him?"

McAllen pondered on Kurz's concerns. "I understand your concern, Weber. But Gauron is extremely dangerous." He then eyed the M26s that Melissa and Shinji acquired. "Besides, we unfortunately have two M26s due to a little supply problem with Sydney."

"Damn..." Kurz whispered.

"Nonetheless..." McAllen spoke to the rest of the SRT and PRT members. "Our objective is to capture Guen and John alive. Don't use lethal force..." Ronald, Shinji and Sousuke raised their eyebrows. "I mean lethal force other than firearms when necessary. Understood?"

"Sir!" Kurz, Sousuke, Ronald, Shinji, Melissa and Lian said in unison.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"You know," Gauron stood up from the captain's chair and began to approach Kaname. "I just don't like it when people like you babble things for no reasons." He suddenly saw that Kaname brought her left hand behind her. "Oh ho... What's that you're trying to hide back there with your left hand?"

The more Kaname kept her silence, all the more Gauron decided to move closer to her with his MAC-11 at the ready.

"Miss Kaname!"

Gauron, John and Guen were startled when Tessa stood up and drew out her Walther TPH subcompact pistol aimed at Gauron himself. "Get out of here! I'll buy you some time."

"A-alright!" Kaname began to dash out of the bridge, moments before John was able to grab her.

Tessa fired a few shots from her TPH to distract John and Guen from catching Kaname.

"Why you!" Guen drew out his USP Expert and fired a few shots at Kaname; all had missed her.

"Come on, Guen! Let's go!" John had his Ruger P85 pistol drawn out and ran out of the bridge, followed by Guen himself.

"S-s-stay back!" Tessa warned "Stay away!" Gauron paid no attention to her warnings, making her fire her TPH at the approaching scarred terrorist.

"Ungh!" Having a .22 Long Rifle bullet fired near his head, it made Gauron fall down on the ground even though he had his hold on the MAC-11.

* * *

Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What the?" Sousuke was alarmed when he heard gunshots from outside the armory.

"Gunshots..." McAllen heard the same thing. "It's coming from the direction of the command center."

"Something must have happened." Shinji thought, before he faced McAllen. "Sir, we need to move. The commander might be in grave danger while we're here."

Ronald used his right thumb to point out the wounded Clade, seated on the floor after being treated of his wounds temporarily. "But what about him? We'll need to hide him somewhere here."

"It's alright." Claude slowly stood up from the floor. "I'll go and hide in the back part of the armory. That was, I won't be easily seen." He pointed up to the neon tube lights above. "I'll kill the lights too, so's I won't be easily identified."

"All right." McAllen nodded. "Come on, guys. Let's go!"

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Oh god! Oh god!"

Kaname was running away from the bridge, being pursued by Guen and John while firing their pistols with one bullet at a time as they needed to catch her alive and not kill her.

"Yiii!" Kaname ducked after she heard gunfire from behind her. A 9mm bullet whizzed over her head, taking out some hair strands without grazing the Jindai High student.

_If I remember right. _Kaname kept running and running further and further away from her assailants. _This corridor should take me to the submarine's cafeteria._

"Come on John!" She could hear Guen's voice from behind. "Don't let that girl get ahead of you! She's heading for the cafeteria!"

"I could say the same thing to you, Guen!" John retorted back.

* * *

"Hold it." McAllen whispered, making Lian and the other SRT operators hold up in another corridor near the corridor leading to the bridge. "I hear some sounds leading to the cafeteria."

"Sir..." Shinji whispered as well. "Why don't we do a pincer attack? Some of us would stay behind and pin down Guen. The others would get in the cafeteria from another corridor next to it and subdue John as fast as we can."

"Hmmm..." McAllen pondered on Shinji's suggestion.

"Sir." Lian spoke up, supporting Shinji. "We don't have much time on this matter. I say we go for it before we lose this chance to apprehend them."

"Okay." McAllen agreed to Shinji and Lian on the former's strategy. "Since there's around eight of us, we'll divide ourselves into two teams with one team of four and another with three. We'll need some people for the teams to go after Guen and John..."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_Oh no! Out of ammo!_

Tessa saw that all of the .22 LR ammo had been expended, with the TPH's slide retracted back to indicate it was empty.

"Well that was an interesting surprise you got there, little lady." Gauron stepped closer and closer to the frightened captain.

"But it's too late for you now." In one full motion, Gauron raised his right hand and slapped the TPH away from Tessa's hands.

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_That's strange. Something's not right._

Nora straightened out her dark blue utility uniform when she felt a headache was coming in. Eyeing the thermostat on the hangar, she walked to it and began to examine it.

"Commander!" Nora yelled to Mardukas. "Something's not right! Thermostat's showing highly concentrated levels of oxygen! I can't get the doors to open!"

"What?" Mardukas was alarmed. "Contact the bridge, on the double!"

"Sir!" One of the technicians went to the intercom and pressed some buttons, but to no avail. "There's no response! I can't contact the bridge or any other places in the submarine!"

_What the heck's going on? _Mardukas gritted his teeth, not liking the situation. _Either the captain's taking this exercise a bit to far or..._

_We're being actually hijacked. If that's so, then who? Only Gauron is a possibility, but how can he get free..._

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Now cuffed and held on her braid, Tessa was on Gauron's mercy after being disarmed of her weapon.

"You were pretty interesting back there." Gauron grinned, raising Tessa's braid. "It makes me wanna kill you, but I'm not ready yet."

Tessa was frightened since Gauron brought her close to her, especially if he was still armed.

"But I've come up with a penalty in addition to placing high levels of oxygen on the submarine's hangar."

Gauron threw a wicked smirk at Tessa; the captain began to shiver in fright before he gave a new order to the corrupt Dana.

**"Dana, surface the submarine to surface depth and set speed to five knots. Use ESM and look for any nearby ships."**

**"Aye, sir!"**

* * *

Bridge, USS Bunker Hill, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"It seems that you're very persistent about you denying the existence of Toy Box."

Rear Admiral Jenkins, wearing a furious look on his face, was walking inside the bridge of the USS Bunker Hill. Kalinin had been following him with Allen providing the ponytailed officer with protective security support, having his left middle finger near the trigger of his P90 while his right hand was on its reflex sight.

"Like I said," Kalinin sighed, wondering why he had to listen to the Rear Admiral while defending the TDD-1's existence. "I don't even know what you're talking about. And even if I do know about it, I don't think I'm in a position to tell you."

Not bothering to reply to the Soviet man, the captain of the USS Bunker Hill was now whispering some details to Rear Admiral Jenkins.

"Sir..." Allen whispered to Kalinin. "Is everything all right?"

"Don't worry Sergeant Ishiba." assured Kalinin. "Everything's quite all right."

After Jenkins fixed his sunglasses, he went towards Kalinin and whispered. "Our submarine is seemingly chasing the Toy Box. I just hope for your sake that everything's going to be fine."

Kalinin did not feel obliged to respond.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"So far, so good."

Peeking out of the male locker room, Kaname went to check if Guen or John were still pursuing her. When she saw no one, Kaname took off her shoes and socks in order to limit the noise that her feet.

"All right." Kaname was now running towards Tessa's office. "Next stop, Tessa's office."

* * *

Following behind Kaname was a team consisting of McAllen, Melissa, Sousuke and Ronald. Their job was to keep Kaname safe while they would apprehend John as he was last seen chasing her towards the direction of the male locker room.

"Sir, I object to this..." Ronald whispered to McAllen, objecting to the idea that they should follow Kaname from a distance with the latter peeking out from a corner to check on her. "With all respect, we could just locate John and capture him alive."

"The problem to that solution would be Guen could still be active and try to capture Ms. Chidori alive." Sousuke objected to Ronald's proposal.

"You heard him." McAllen stated, backing Sousuke.

Ronald sighed, "Yes, sir."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"Surface ship located." **The corrupted Dana reported back to Gauron, holding Tessa by her braid. **"Direction 3-2-3. Confirmed as Echo 1."**

_Excellent. _Gauron grinned, knowing that he can use the TDD-1's missiles against it. _Time to teach the little captain a lesson._

**"Target identified as US Navy Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser, ship name unknown. Distance is 7 miles."**

**"Good work, Dana." **Gauron complimented the AI's efforts. **"Get ready to launch Harpoon missiles one and two. Target Echo 1 and use BOL launch mode."**

"NOOOO!" Tessa tried to get free, but her braid was long being held harder by Gauron. "They're not involved with us!"

**"Aye sir!" **replied Dana. **"Data input complete. Opening launch tube doors."**

Gauron eyed the main screen to visually confirm that the missiles were now ready for launch. Seeing that it was waiting for Gauron's input, he tossed Tessa aside. **"All right. Launch Harpoon one and two." **

At his word, Dana had visually shown the Harpoon missiles that were launched from the TDD-1's missile bay.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Another team consisting of Lian, Kurz and Shinji were in another corridor somewhere in the TDD-1, trying to stalk down Guen and capture him alive. So far, they checked in from the enlisted personnel quarters and noted that the armed man wasn't there.

"Whoa..." Lian felt the submarine vibrate a bit. "What was that?"

"Did the submarine fire something?" Kurz wondered, feeling the vibration.

"Either way..." Shinji spoke to his comrades, leading the way. "We're still in danger. If we don't catch our now traitorous SRT colleagues, we may as well say goodbye to TDD-1."

* * *

Teletha Testarossa's Office, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Looks like I'm safe." Kaname pulled the sliding door leading to Tessa's office as the _emergency drill _had disconnected all electrical power to most parts of TDD-1 except to areas that are essential for the submarine to navigate, the bridge and its weapon systems. She then searched for the safe, getting the key and folded paper from the left pockets in her yellow jacket after she placed her hand in her short shorts. "Good thing I'm an expert in running. Looks like I lost them."

Touching a panel behind the revolving chair, Kaname saw the safe that Tessa told her. With the key in her left hand, she inserted it into the keyhole before she unfolded the paper that was on her right hand. "Okay. 31128765."

Kaname grabbed the safe's handle and turned it. Inside were several small books with a blue box. _That must be the universal key. _Taking the blue box, Kaname opened it and saw a USB-like key that had the words _UNV_ written on it. In addition, it was showing an emerald green color.

"Next stop, Lady Chapel." Pocketing the Universal Key into her jacket, Kaname had left the panel alone as she had no idea how to close it. She went for the sliding door and used her hands to open it before she got out and slid it back to close the room.

"Hey there..." A very familiar was heard from behind Kaname. "Looks like my friend and I have found ya..."

* * *

Above the waters of the Pacific Ocean, two Boeing Harpoon UGM-84 anti-ship missiles had been set on its course from the TDD-1's missile bays all the way towards the USS Bunker Hill. After their outer casings were disposed off midway towards the Ticonderoga-class ship, the missiles were under fire by the ship's 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 artillery guns and M242 Bushmaster chain guns at the waters around the approaching Harpoons so as to destroy them.

The splashes, created from gunfire from the artillery and chain guns of the Bunker Hill, were able to destroy one of the Harpoons. Unfortunately, the second one went straight to the Bunker Hill's helicopter hangar and penetrated it, destroying its cargo of Sikorsky SH-60B Seahawk helicopters.

While an explosion did take place in the hangar, the explosion's force was somehow weak that it wasn't enough to destroy the entire ship since its General Electric LM2500 gas turbine engines were badly damaged to the point that the Bunker Hill won't be able to move for a while.

* * *

Bridge, USS Bunker Hill, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What the hell is the meaning of this?"

Jenkins was now furious at Kalinin after the Harpoon missile launched from the TDD-1 had attacked the ship, though most of them were still alive since the ship was not destroyed. He poked his Sig Sauer P228 pistol at Kalinin's stomach, though out of Allen's view. "I need an explanation on why the Toy Box just attacked the Bunker Hill right now."

"Commander!" Allen saw what Jenkins was doing and quickly aimed his P90 at Jenkin's head through its reflex sight. "Put the gun down!"

"It's all right." Kalinin spoke to Allen before he replied to Jenkins' threats. "If the Toy Box did exist, then why would it attack the US Navy in the first place?"

"But the point is," Jenkins continued to poke his sidearm at Kalinin. "that we're still attacked." Allen kept his aim on Jenkins, ready to shoot him if necessary.

"And that shows it." Kalinin calmly pointed out. When Jenkins was confused, Kalinin explained it to him. "The missile's warheads weren't armed when they targeted your hangar, showing that Toy Box wasn't really your enemy. If they were, we shouldn't be speaking right now."

"Sir!" The XO reported to the Rear Admiral. "A major storm's coming our way."

"Dammit." sighed Jenkins. "With that storm around, we won't be able to move."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"What the hell happened?" **Gauron was furious to see that the intended target was not destroyed.

**"Warheads of Harpoon missiles 1 and 2 were deactivated prior to missile launch, captain."**

Gauron glared at Tessa, who was on the floor, after hearing from Dana that the USS Bunker Hill was not destroyed. "So you had the warheads disarmed huh?"

"I did that on my own decision as captain!" Tessa fired her retort at Gauron.

"You mean ex-captain!" With his violent temper, Gauron aimed his MAC-11 at Tessa again.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Gunshots were heard once more in the corridors, in the direction of the cafeteria.

"Gunshots..." McAllen said, running towards the cafeteria. Sousuke and the others followed him, the two teams met up again near the locker rooms as they were not able to find the two traitorous SRT personnel. But as the Australian SRT commander was about to make a turn, gunshots were fired in his direction, forcing him to duck behind the corner with the others.

"Hi there, sir!" The voice belonged to Guen, who had dared to fire his sidearm at his commander. But like John, he had turned rogue. With that in mind, McAllen and the others were not surprised to see him turn his back against his ex-comrades.

"I see that you actually had the guts to fire at your own commander!" McAllen yelled, taunting his ex-SRT subordinate.

"What can I say?" Guen replied, chuckling at McAllen's remarks. McAllen directed Melissa to get her team to sneak behind Guen by using a side corridor and subdue John before he can harm Kaname. "I'm just doing this small little part for the bigger paycheck. At the end of the day, we are mercenaries..."

"Does that include the intent of killing your own captain and comrades too?" Kurz fired back, retorting Guen as McAllen already went with Melissa to infiltrate the cafeteria.

"Well..." Guen shrugged his shoulders, still aiming his USP Expert at the corner where McAllen originally was. "If I have to as part of the deal to get the paycheck. I mean, after all..."

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Looks like you got no place to hide now, little missy."

Kaname was now backed into a corner, while being slowly approached by John with his arms high up in the air. It would seem that he had won since he was already going for the kill by grabbing Kaname before she can escape any further.

Until John felt being kicked on his rear, courtesy of a sharp and swift kick delivered by one Melissa Mao.

"What the?" John was angry, placing his hand on his back while confronting Melissa. He was shocked to see that it was her, with Sousuke, McAllen and a masked Ronald, who had his Zanzibar Land Guards beret.

All of them were cracking their knuckles on both of their hands, which made John yell and charge at them.

* * *

Outside Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What the hell..." Guen was surprised to hear scuffling noises were coming from the cafeteria. When he turned his head around, the Vietnamese man felt a swift kick on his right hand.

"You!" Guen stepped a few feet back and recoiled at the pain to see Shinji, also masked like Ronald. _So you're the one who did it. _Lian and Kurz were also behind, raising their fists up ready to fight.

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Take this!" John tried to rush at the 4-man SRT team in the cafeteria, but Ronald went ahead to counterattack by running a short distance and delivering a jump kick to John's chest.

"Kaname! Go hide in the kitchen!" Sousuke yelled, moving towards John to assist Ronald in taking down the rogue American.

"Hrah!" John tried to punch Ronald, but the masked SRT operator kept his guard up by blocking his face before he had enough and decided to counter by blocking every punch meant for him and went for the offensive by delivering punches to John's stomach.

Sousuke ran a short distance from behind John after seeing that Kaname was all right and did a sliding kick on John's right leg, forcing him to concentrate on Sousuke instead of Ronald when he shoved him aside.

Seeing the danger of being stepped on purpose, Sousuke executed a backflip before he kicked John's chin on the way. McAllen joined in the fun by charging at John after being attacked. John took a glance behind him and saw what was coming for him.

"Hah!" John blocked the punch meant for him and did a headbutt at McAllen. Melissa took to the offense as well, ducking underneath John's left punch and executing a palm thrust before she she did a sharp elbow thrust on his abdomen.

* * *

Outside Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Guen, for his part, executed a strong punch aimed for Shinji. At instinct, the masked teenager ducked. Lian was instead at the receiving end of Guen's punch, sending him to the ground with his back first.

"Damn you!" Kurz went for Guen and started to execute several punches at him. But for every punch that Kurz did, Guen was able to anticipate them and duck by dodging left and right. Left, right, left, right, left, right.

_You're so obvious, Kurz Weber. _Guen grinned to himself, seeing the German SRT operator grit his teeth every time a punch didn't land at him. _It seems that you're slacking off at the unarmed combat section of SRT training._

"Okay!" Guen, deciding to take things seriously, used his arms to block Kurz's punches before he did an uppercut on him. "Time to take things seriously!"

"Then I guess that you better look out for this!"

Looking up, Guen saw Shinji had already jumped forward.

And the last thing he saw was the heel of the boot on Shinji's right foot aimed for his face.

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

McAllen was on the ground, nursing the pain from the headbutt inflicted by John. The scarred American concentrated his attention on Sousuke, Melissa and Ronald. The latter was the first again to attack John when he did a kick at his head, forcing John to block it before Ronald executed a roundhouse kick that went for his stomach.

"Aagh..." John stepped a few feet back. His next opponent was Sousuke, who stepped on the cafeteria tables next to John and leaped from it with a well-placed kick at his head.

Melissa charged on and placed a jab on John's chin before she did another on his neck.

"My neck..." John recoiled at the jab. But he failed to notice McAllen behind him, nor his attempt to execute a cross punch. John ducked at this, but McAllen continued with a kick near his crotch.

"AAGRRHH!" Feeling the pain, John covered his hands over his crotch and tried to move away from his enemies.

"Sousuke!" Ronald had his left hand reaching out to Sousuke. Curious as to what he was trying to do, Sousuke grabbed it with his right hand.

"I'm going to swing you near John, so hang on!"

Sousuke nodded, allowing Ronald to move him in a circular motion as they were near John. When Sousuke was near the target, he retracted his left arm and forcefully extended it to hit John's face.

The strong punch, coupled with the momentum done by Ronald, made John stagger and lose his concentration, already feeling blood trickle out of his mouth and nose.

When Ronald moved near John, the latter tried to reach for an item to use. "Hiyah!" Ronald executed a double roundhouse kick, sending John to the ground.

* * *

Outside Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Ungh!" Guen collapsed on the ground, but was able to get back on his feet in an instant.

"Come here!" Guen charged at his adversary and executed several punches. It was Shinji's turn to duck, dodging every punch before he swiftly block one of them with his left arm and countered it with a strong right cross punch on his face, coupled with a left jab on his stomach and a strong knee attack on his stomach by forcefully grabbing his shoulders and pulling his body down to slouch.

Seeing Guen step a few feet back, Kurz took this opportunity for him to fight back and deliver a punch. His right fist was about to go straight for Guen's chest when the man suddenly stood fully up for him to see the incoming punch. Guen weakly dodged it, but Kurz changed the jab to an uppercut.

"Now!" Shinji readily drew out his M26 pistol and aimed the taser at Guen, who was downed for a second time. Firing the weapon, it sent out an electrode dart and attached itself onto Guen's chest, sending out 26 watts of electrical energy pulsing to his body.

"ERRRAHHH!" Guen was violently reacting to the electrode, trying to reach for the USP Expert pistol on the ground. Seeing what Guen was about to do, Shinji fired the second electrode dart at him. It then sent out an additional 26 watts of electricity pulsing to his body again before it rendered him unconscious.

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Stand back, all of you!"

Somehow, John had recovered from the punch and roundhouse that Sousuke had delivered to him. Grabbing Ronald by his throat, John violently slammed him on the wall while he placed the Ruger P85's muzzle at his chin.

"Don't move!" John forcefully pushed the muzzle hard on his victim to make his point clear. "Or the guy gets it!"

"Ack!" Ronald had gasped, though it was not helping a bit that he was wearing a balaclava to hide his face from the other MITHRIL TDD-1 personnel.

"Gotta go something..." Ronald mumured, feeling his throat being squeezed out when he gripped John's left arm.

* * *

_Ronald tried to remember. It was back in 1996. He saw himself during one of the unarmed combat sessions for the foreign mercenaries fighting in the war, as well as to train soldiers for the Zanzibar Land military as it was being formed with help from the said mercenaries who had arrived in Zanzibar from various countries._

_Big Boss, with his eyepatch over his right eye, was wearing olive green BDUs while conducting an unarmed combat demonstration with a Caucasian mercenary depicting the role of the attacker._

_"When you get involved in a situation that requires you to use unarmed combat," Big Boss explained, having the "attacker" grab his throat with his right arm. "try to proceed and neutralize the threat as much as you can." The ex-American special forces soldier had his left hand grab the man's right wrist and proceeded to slowly twist it before he did a jab in the face and a throw on the floor._

_The assembled mercenaries, Ronald included, clapped their hands while Big Boss helped the downed man get up._

_"Remember. Use speed, aggression and surprise when you do this. Get to use your body's own reflexes and strike at the enemy's vulnerable point."_

_The attacker did a jab and a cross at Big Boss once again. The latter countered this by grabbing the right arm used to execute the cross punch and twisted its arm before he used a sharp knee attack on the attacker's chest and an elbow strike on his back._

_"You won't care for the injuries that you'll do when it comes to your attacker. So remember, match the type of danger with the type of response that you can use to get out of a situation. It won't always be the same, but the same principle is to always deal with the threat, neutralize your attacker and prevent him or her from attacking again."_

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_I remember! I remember all of that!_

Ronald used his right elbow to strike at the arm holding out his neck. When John begin to grit in pain, Ronald followed it with a headbutt that forced his attacker to let go of him.

"Here goes!" As his back was still pressed on the wall for a few seconds, Ronald kicked his feet hard away from the wall and his hands pressed on the wall as well to give him some momentum. "Ikuzo!"

Ronald grabbed John's head and executed a strong knee attack on his jawline, using his right knee to kick it really hard.

"Urah!" John landed on the ground after he bumped his head into the the table once again. Ronald, meanwhile, landed on the ground safely by using his arms to help him avoid falling down as well.

_My pistol... _Eyeing his P85, John tried to reach for it. But before he can do so, he felt a sharp soccer-like kick delivered by McAllen on his rear.

"I got it!" Melissa got her M26 pistol aimed at the downed John and fired both of its electrode darts. Discharging at least 52 watts on his body, John tried to fight it off with no avail since he felt the electric current shutting down his entire system. Afterwards, he fainted without putting up any further resistance.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Well, this looks fun."

Gauron was seated on the captain's chair, using Tessa's head as a sort of cushion for his right leg. His MAC-11 was still at hand, ready to be used when necessary.

_It seems that we underestimated Gauron from the very beginning. It appears that he wants to capture TDD-1 as his main objective. Reckless terrorism, being captured and now with the missile attack on an American warship.  
_

Tessa moaned in pain, feeling the brunt force of the leg on her head.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?!" Tessa yelled, not being able to contain her anger any longer.

Gauron stared at his captive, impressed. "Kill myself?" He chuckled. "I kinda like this way. Ah, taking myself out with a multi-billion dollar submarine. Oh, this is way too rich!"

**"Submarine detected within range. Identified as a Los Angeles-class type. Missile has been launched from direction 2-9-8."**

"Interesting." Gauron chuckled, seeing that the submarine was far away from the TDD-1. _I wonder... Usually I won't, but since they're coming for us. Maybe I should..._

**"Let's go and play chicken with them, Dana. Go and dive to a depth of 1500."**

**"WARNING! The order exceeds the maximum depth."**

_Who cares? I don't! _Gauron pushed his leg on Tessa's head. **"Let's go for it anyway."**

**"Aye, sir."**

* * *

Bridge, USS Bunker Hill, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"I'm sorry about all this."

Kalinin, Jenkins and Allen remained inside the bridge of Bunker Hill while all of the ship's enlisted and officers began to work on subduing any remaining fires before another attack would come from the rogue TDD-1. Jenkins still has his P228 aimed at Kalinin, this time at his head. However, Allen changed his target from Jenkins' head to his right arm in order to disable him right away before he gets a chance to shoot him.

"But I think you need to stay here and watch the show."

"Put the gun down, Rear Admiral!" Allen warned the Rear Admiral. "You don't know who you're dealing with..."

"It's all right, Sergeant." Kalinin tried to calm his subordinate down. "I need to use a phone." said Kalinin to the Rear Admiral.

Jenkins raised an eyebrow. "Who're you going to call? A good attorney?"

"No." Kalinin shook his head. "We need to avoid a confrontation between MITHRIL and the US Military. We're the only ones who can do that."

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"I've got him, sir." Lian and Kurz dragged an unconscious Guen down in the cafeteria while Melissa and Ronald were busy going to restrain John, who was also unconscious.

"Cuff them near the legs of the tables." McAllen ordered. "We can't let them get away."

"Yes sir!" While Guen and John were being cuffed, Sousuke went to check on Kaname, who was in the kitchen.

* * *

Kitchen, Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"SOUSUKE!" Kaname ran up to Sousuke, after seeing him enter the kitchen.

"Kaname." Sousuke hugged the fear-stricken girl, who cried.

"Sousuke... I was so scared."

"I know. I am too."

Kaname looked at him, her eyes puffed out from her tears. "Huh? Wha..."

"It's because..." Sousuke reached out for Kaname with his right arm, opening his hand. "I want to be here for you."

"Oh Sousuke." Kaname smiled, gently touching his right hand with her. "I want to be here for you too."

"HEY SOUSUKE!" Kurz yelled. "Are you two done there, or are you guys doing something else that we shouldn't know?" His last comment brought the two to blush.

* * *

Cafeteria, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"She's alright, Lieutenant." Sousuke brought Kaname out of the kitchen. Kurz and Shinji were helping Lian recover after they brought him inside the cafeteria since he was knocked out by Guen for the entire fight in and out of the cafeteria.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Ms. Chidori." McAllen greeted the student.

"Thank you." Kaname thanked the Australian man. "Ms. Testarossa told me that I need to proceed to Lady Chapel."

_Aka TAROS... _Ronald raised an eyebrow. _Now why does Tessa need her? The only thing I can come up with is that Dana's being hijacked by Gauron. But how..._

"Allow us to escort you at least." McAllen insisted. Ronald and Sousuke were given the P85 and USP Expert pistols by Shinji and Melissa before everyone followed Kaname.

* * *

Outskirts of Lady Chapel, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"You have the key with you?"

McAllen asked Kaname, running in front with Lian and Kurz. Taking the rear were Sousuke, Melissa, Shinji and Ronald. The four were also running, but were in the rear to ensure their security.

"I have it with me." Kaname took the Universal Key from her jacket pocket.

"Do it."

Without saying anything else, Kaname inserted it into a slot. A few minutes later, the door leading to Lady Chapel was open.

"I need two people to assist Ms. Chidori inside." McAllen gave out his order to his subordinates.

"We'll do it." Ronald stepped forward with Sousuke. The two SRT operators entered with Kaname inside Lady Chapel while McAllen, Kurz, Lian, Melissa and Shinji stayed outside to give the three rear security.

* * *

Lady Chapel, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"TAROS?" Ronald murmured. "Looks like she outdid herself."

"Whoa..." Sousuke was impressed to see what was inside Lady Chapel. Aside from a sort of reclining chair-like device dubbed TAROS, everything else consisted to monitor-like devices on the wall.

"It's older than the one on the Arbalest." Kaname murmured, observing TAROS. "It's connected to Dana instead of some Lambda Driver device."

_So... your Whispered skills are fully awakened, Kaname Chidori. _Ronald couldn't help, but smirk underneath his balaclava. He assisted Kaname by pushing a button on TAROS, which opened the upper and lower hatches to cover her face and legs from any underwater turbulence.

"Kaname..." Sousuke didn't like the idea of her using TAROS when the hatches were closed on her.

"Thank you, guys." Sousuke and Ronald hear the dual voices of Tessa and Kaname in unison. "Your work here is done."

"Would you please come and rescue me?" Ronald turned around, horrified to see a ghostly image of Tessa. She appeared to have been badly beaten and injured, with her nose bleeding.

* * *

Reception, ARGYROS Corporation, Sydney, Australia

A team of four men wearing black bomber jackets and brown pants approached the reception after leaving the elevator. They consisted of two Caucasians, one with blonde hair and another with brown hair, an Asian of East Asian origin and a Hispanic.

"Can I help you guys?" A woman in her early 30s, wearing a jacket over her white blouse and dark blue pants, greeted the men.

"We weren't able to find Dr. Gallagher, ma'am." said the Hispanic. "We spoke with some of the employees and they claim that he had a meeting. But so far, nothing."

Suddenly, a loud sound was heard from outside the building. The four men quickly drew out their own sidearms and rushed outside to the parking lot, only to see a man in his early 50s with Caucasian features and blonde hair smashed on top of a parked 2001 Holden Commodore.

"Crap!" yelled the blonde-haired man. He pressed his left index and middle fingers up on his neck. "Damn, he's dead. Someone, get on the radio and tell the bigwigs. Our potential suspect in the security leak's down."

**"This is unit 1 reporting in." **The East Asian man went for the radio microphone clipped on his jacket. **"I'm afraid so sir. Dr. Peter Gallagher just committed suicide from the top of the building."**

"I wonder if this is due to the Intelligence Division conducting a search on his apartment from a surveillance op in Sydney two weeks ago." questioned the brown-haired Caucasian security guard.

"It would be." The Hispanic man stared at the now dead body of MITHRIL R&D scientist Peter Gallagher. "Especially when they caught him on surveillance talking to Gauron. Looks like a big investigation's going to start soon."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Well, well. Will you look at that?"

Gauron observed the screen in front of him, as Dana reported various damages done to TDD-1 due to the excess depth that the assault submarine was traveling in.

"Looks like the fun's about to start, guys. So buckle up." Gauron's only reply was filled with glares at him. "Okay, never mind." _Better give new orders to Dana..._

**"Dana! Hard rudder to port and deploy some decoys out there..."**

**"Aye, sir."**

"So..." Gauron rubbed his chin. "I wonder if we can avoid the incoming missile. Well, can we? I like to think positively..." He was then startled when all of the screens were turned off.

_Who the hell did that?_

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Looks like it's up to us."

Ronald and Sousuke were now deployed by McAllen to retake the bridge from Gauron and save Tessa and the other bridge crew members before harm would come to them.

"Indeed it is." Sousuke had John's P85 with Ronald using Guen's USP Expert. "If we don't stop him, then no one will aside from Lieutenant McAllen and the others."

"I agree." Ronald shared Sousuke's sentiments. "Looks like we're nearing the bridge. Lead the way, Sergeant."

"My pleasure."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"Dana!"**

Gauron was now furious to hear Tessa's voice, being in command of the TDD-1 instead of him.

**"Launch countermeasures one and two when I give you the signal. Configure them for deep-sea mode."**

**"Aye, ma'am!"**

**"No, not yet..."**

The blue screens, which was the representation of a now normal Dana, showed the incoming missile launched from the USS Pasadena.

**"Now!"**

"Why you little..." Gauron slowly raised Tessa off the floor by raising her braid up high.

On the screen, two Raytheon Mark 48 torpedos were launched from the TDD-1's horizontal torpedo tubes. They veered away from the TDD-1 as a target for the Mark 48 ADCAP torpedo fired by the Los Angeles-class submarine.

**"Follow that up with an emergency blow!"**

**"Aye, ma'am! Emergency blow!"**

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Did you feel that?" Ronald asked, getting a hold of the handlebars mounted on the corridor as he and Sousuke felt a vibration throughout the entire submarine.

"We're rising." Sousuke suggested. "At a fast rate too."

"The captain must've been able to take control of the situation." The comment was soon followed with the TDD-1 being a bit shaken by an explosion from outside. "Okay... Now that's not good."

"We're here!" Sousuke took the lead, arriving first outside the door leading to the bridge.

"Take a peek." Ronald drew out the USP Expert, holding it using the weaver grip. "Then we can decide how to strike at him."

Sousuke nodded, using a one-hand grip for the P85 on his left hand. He gently opened the door to see that Gauron was holding Tessa by her braid.

"He got her." Sousuke whispered to Ronald, kneeling next to her. The submarine shook violently once again; with Sousuke seeing Gauron being forced to let go of Tessa's braid before she got slammed on the wall next to the door.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What kind of magic did you just do there, you little wench?" Gauron gritted his teeth, slowly raising his MAC-11 at Tessa. She recovered from being slammed with a nosebleed.

"This is the kind of magic you're encountering, Gauron!"

Ronald was the first to dash one, firing a shot from the USP Expert to distract Gauron while he dived in to cover Tessa with his body. Sousuke followed behind, sliding all the way towards the main screen before he fired off a shot from the P85. This time, it wounded Gauron on his left shoulder.

"Kashim!" Gauron glared at Sousuke before he turned his head around, seeing Ronald behind him. "And Al-Aziz!"

"There's no way out for you!" Sousuke aimed the P85 at Gauron. Ronald took his position, kneeling in front of Tessa's unconscious body and aimed the USP Expert from behind Gauron. "Surrender now!"

"You think I would?" Gauron was about to laugh, taking aim at Tessa and Ronald. "You should know better..."

"You bastard!" Ronald was about to squeeze off another shot when the submarine suddenly shook violently again, apparently to complete the TDD-1's emergency blow as said by Tessa.

Moments before he fainted, Ronald went for Tessa's body and covered her body to prevent the captain from being injured.

* * *

"Hey! Stay with me!"

"Wha?" Ronald was woken up by Sousuke, the former still having his arms around Tessa to shield her from the impact.

"I got the handcuff key from the floor." Sousuke handed it to Ronald.

"Thanks." Ronald used the key to unlock the cuffs restraining Tessa. When he was able to remove it, Ronald closed the cuff and placed it on his right pants pocket. "See to the others." He tossed the handcuff key to Sousuke, which he used to first unlock the cuffs from the wrist of the communications officer.

"Tessa?" He took some tissue from his left pants pocket. _I don't know why I got some tissue with me today, aside from feeling the urge to sneeze... _"You okay?"

"Ro..Ronnie?" Tessa was a bit dazed. But when she saw Ronald, Tessa smiled a bit and somehow blushed when Ronald was wiping the blood from her nose.

"Don't talk if you can't feel like it after what..."

Tessa weakly placed her left index finger over the mouth on his balaclava. "It's fine." whispered the 17-year old officer. "Don't worry about me."

"I'll take you to your chair." Ronald slowly carried Tessa in her arms, placing the captain back on the captain's chair.

Being placed back on the captain's chair, Tessa moved her head close to Ronald and whispered, "Thank you." She then closed her eyes.

"Captain!" Sousuke yelled, seeing Tessa faint.

_Sousuke._

"Chidori?!" Sousuke recognized Kaname's voice, but she was seemingly speaking through Tessa.

_You needn't worry. Everything will be fine with De Danaan._

Ronald placed a hand on Sousuke's shoulder. "If she said that TDD-1's going to be fine, our next step's to locate Gauron and get him before he can get to his Arm Slave."

"You're right." The two SRT operators rushed back to the bridge's door, taking the fallen P85 and USP Expert on the way with them in their hands.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Gauron!" Sousuke yelled, as he and Ronald traversed the corridors of TDD-1 in order to get a lead on Gauron and outsmart him first.

"Let's try the torpedo room." Ronald suggested. "It can be a good hiding place since he somehow knew the way around."

"Good idea."

The two ran towards the torpedo, being ready for any surprise attack from the international terrorist.

* * *

Torpedo Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Gauron!" Sousuke shouted while he aimed the P85 in an area of the torpedo room.

"Not good!" Ronald was standing next to Sousuke with the USP Expert aimed towards another area of the torpedo room. "Must've left."

_He's trapped like a rat._

_Kaname? _Ronald heard Kaname resonating with his mind, like a Whispered should.

_He's cornered, but he seems to be enjoying it._

Ronald gritted his teeth upon hearing what Kaname had mentioned. _What kinda person would enjoy being hunted down and killed in the end? Only a psycho would be like that..._

_It's the bottom of the ninth. He's got two strikes and the bases are loaded!_

_I see. Then he's going to the hangar._

_That's right, Ronald._

"Sousuke, let's go!" Ronald ran first out of the torpedo room, surprising Sousuke.

"Where to?" Sousuke followed Ronald, also running to catch up with him.

* * *

Corridor, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald and Sousuke were now running towards the hangar, armed to the teeth and ready to pounce on him before he can reach his Codarl-I.

"Since Gauron doesn't have Guen and John to back him up and the captain with Kaname got rid of the corrupt Dana out of the AI, where do you think he's going?" Ronald posed a question to Sousuke.

"You mean... to get Venom back?" Sousuke was quick to reply.

"Yeah!" Ronald saw the ending of the corridor that that they were in.

"We may know how he looks like, but the others can't."

"I just hope the L-T and the others are able to reach Commander Mardukas in time before it's too late."

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What happened?" Mardukas was speaking to McAllen with Lian, Kurz, Shinji and Melissa. In the hangar, several SRT/PRT personnel and maintenance technicians were busy tending to the wounded and injured due to the emergency blow that surfaced the TDD-1 on the Pacific Ocean in the middle of a storm.

"We were hijacked." Melissa explained. "Gauron was able to control the ship with help from Guen Bien Bo and John Danigan."

"The new SRT recruits?" Mardukas asked.

"Yes, sir." Lian replied, adjusting his glasses. "The reason why they did it is beyond our reasoning."

"What happened to Corporal Guen and Sergeant Danigan?"

"We aleady subdued them, Commander." McAllen explained. "We've cuffed them in the cafeteria, already restrained. There shouldn't be a problem."

Mardukas asked McAllen the next question, "Then what about Gauron?"

"Last time I remember," Shinji answered. "Sergeant Sagara and Uruz 11 were trying to take down Gauron in the bridge."

Unknown to them or the other MITHRIL personnel, Gauron was in his PRT uniform and wearing a stolen TDD-1 ballcap while he hid his MAC-11 by placing a rag on it. However, he didn't bother to hide his shoulder wound.

"Do any of you know how he looks like?" Mardukas questioned the SRT/PRT group.

"I do remember that he was wearing a uniform just like us guys in the PRT and SRT." Kurz replied to Mardukas's query.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Mardukas and the others, as well as the personnel tending to the injured and wounded, saw Sousuke and Ronald had aimed their pistols towards Gauron. His identity was unknown to them as he had his face obscured by the TDD-1 ballcap.

"End of the line for you, Gauron!" Ronald yelled. "Just give yourself up right now!"

"What the?" One of the maintenance technicians whispered.

"Gauron? You mean the international terrorist, here in the hangar?" said a wounded PRT enlisted man, lying on a stretcher.

"Hey man! What do we do?" yelled one of the PRT personnel tending to a wounded SRT officer.

"My, my..." Gauron sighed, taking off the ballcap and revealed himself to the rest of the people in the hangar. "You two are very, very persistent." He tossed the rag that covered his MAC-11. "Which is why I need to end it right now..."

"And I'll start it by taking out my frustration..." Gauron slowly squeezed his right index finger on the MAC-11's trigger at his two targets. "on you both. So don't take it personally, Kashim, Al-Aziz."

Chapter 20 END

PS - Chapter title is from one of Steven Seagal's movies from the 1990s, Under Siege. I always look forward to reviews on the story.

To those unfamiliar with ESM, it can either mean Electronic Support Measures or Electronic Surveillance Measures. They both have something to do with electronic warfare. BOL means Bearing Only Launch. If anyone thinks contrary to them, let me know.

Also, I changed the ship type for USS Bunker Hill. It was said to be Aegis-class, but in real life it's actually a Ticonderoga-class type. I'd like to thank the anonymous guy who told me that FMP is a light novel series. Er... listen. Thanks, but I already knew that. That's the reason I said that ownership of the series came from him aside from GONZO and Kyoto Ani.

This chapter is dedicated to the worldwide release of Metal Gear Solid 4 and the awesomeness that is Big Boss. Yeah, go buy the game now! I'll buy mine when I can by the end of this month since I'm heading to Vegas soon.


	21. Brave or Grave

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, I'd try to make the Sousuke and Gauron fight in the TDD-1 hangar look more GARish aside from swinging their monomolecular cutters at each other, yeah?

Summary:

With Gauron on the loose, Sousuke and Ronald tracked him to the hangar while in full view of unarmed TDD-1 personnel. Can the two SRT operators defeat Gauron and save their comrades and the TDD-1 once and for all, or are they actually doomed from the start? Stay tune to this chapter to find out.

Chapter 21: Brave or Grave

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Nora, get down!"

Ronald, seeing Nora trying to move in to his position, fired the Heckler and Koch USP Expert at Gauron. Sousuke did likewise with the Ruger P85, preventing Gauron's Ingram MAC-11 from being fired as he was under a hail of gunfire. Shinji and Melissa helped Nora evacuate under the gunfire.

"Damn you!" Gauron ran towards his Codarl-I, which was on its hands and knees while being restrained with wires. At the same time, he fired his MAC-11 at Ronald and Sousuke to prevent them from following him.

"Take cover!" Sousuke took cover behind the arm of an M9E, leaning his back on it as Gauron fired several .380 ACP bullets at his position.

"Chalk this up!" Ronald taunted from behind the arm of another M9E adjacent to Sousuke's position, who fired the USP Expert after he exposed part of his body to fire the pistol with his right hand. Gauron kept running towards the Codarl-I and changed targets to fire at Ronald.

"Augh!" Ronald felt the right side of his stomach had been grazed by a bullet. _I'm grazed, but that doesn't mean that I'm giving up!_

Gauron began to climb up the Codarl-I while having bullets fired over his head as Ronald and Sousuke slowly advanced towards him, firing their sidearms.

* * *

"Everyone, get out of here! It doesn't matter where, just leave the hangar!"

Mardukas, assisted by Melissa and McAllen, evacuated almost all the TDD-1 personnel including the wounded out of the hangar since Gauron was about to enter his Codarl-I and activate it.

"You think they'll be alright, sir?" McAllen said, helping Mardukas evacuate after ensuring that the last of the maintenance technicians were able to leave the area.

"I hope so, McAllen." Mardukas went with McAllen towards the nearest exit. "I hope so."

"Come on, man." Kurz was not far behind, helping carry an unconscious Shinji with Lian.

"What happened?" McAllen asked Kurz.

"Um, well... He sorta tripped while avoiding the gunfire..."

* * *

"Sousuke, cover me!"

While Sousuke kept firing the P85 at Gauron, who was now starting to climb the Codarl-I, Ronald drew out the sheath of an Eickhorn KM2000 combat knife and got the bladed weapon out .

"Hope I can throw this thing..." Holding the KM2000's tip carefully to avoid being injured, Ronald summoned all of his strength on his left hand and tossed the knife towards Gauron.

"Hrah!" Gauron felt pain on his left leg, where the knife was lodged in. _Never expected Al-Aziz to throw a knife like that. Probably been trained by Big Boss. _Before Gauron entered the cockpit, he fired the last of the remaining .380 ACP ammo from the MAC-11 at Ronald, then Sousuke. He then removed the KM2000 and threw it on the ground.

"He got in!" Sousuke dashed towards the Arbalest, which was also on its and hands and knees.

"Go! I'll cover you!" Ronald aimed at Gauron, who fired at MAC-11 at Sousuke as he was running towards the Arbalest. Gauron sealed the cockpit afterwards, seeing no need for his MAC-11 since he was already inside.

_Crap! I'm not hitting him, but the machine instead. _With the USP Expert's slide retracted back, Ronald hurled the used pistol away and ran towards his Falke and began to climb the inactive Arm Slave as the Arbalest was now standing up and facing Gauron's now activated Codarl-I.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

Sousuke inhaled and exhaled, maintaining his composure as the Codarl-I drew out its monomolecular cutter.

**"WARNING: Enemy AS has drawn out its monomolecular cutter." **AL warned Sousuke.

**"I already saw that, AL." **Sousuke retorted to the AI, deploying the Arbalest's Geotron-2 monomolecular cutter from its head unit and grabbed it with its right hand.

**"So Kashim..." **Gauron had his cutter pointed to Sousuke. **"You ready for the final match?"**

Sousuke moved the Arbalest to engage the Codarl-I, fiercely exchanging blade hits with their cutters. Though Sousuke was gaining the upper hand, the Codarl-I had used a Lamba Driver energy blast to hit the Arbalest.

"Urhaaa!" Sousuke felt the Arbalest get smashed onto a Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare helicopter, permanently wrecking it. "Errrghhh!"

* * *

Cockpit, M9D Falke

**"Hang on, Sousuke!"**

Ronald had the Falke already activated with its IMI Crimson Edge cutter at the ready.

**"Lookee here..." **Gauron taunted Ronald. **"Another challenger's ready to fight me eh? Isn't that quite something?"**

**"Prepare to die, Gauron!"**

Ronald, in anger, charged towards Gauron and began to engage him as well. _Better take something out to give us an advantage..._

He manipulated the Falke's left hand, which held the Crimson Edge, to assault the Codarl-I's head unit. _Alright, smash it! _Ronald watched the Crimson Edge's handle smash the head unit, partially wrecking the Codarl-I's external camera.

"Did I disable him or what?"

Though he watched the Codarl-I fall on the ground, Gauron pointed its right middle finger at him and fired Lamba Driver energy at him.

"Gaaahhhhh!" Ronald felt his Falke hurled backwards 'til he got himself smashed to the hangar's wall.

_It's alright._

"Wha?" Ronald heard a familiar voice while in the midst of getting his Falke back up. "Tessa?..."

_I'll be with you, so don't worry about me._

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1058 Codarl-I

_Better be careful._

Gauron moved backwards, allowing the Arbalest and the Falke to advance towards him. Once the three Arm Slaves were in the middle of the hangar near the elevator, Gauron tried to engage Sousuke with his cutter. The two Arm Slaves engaged each other again, with the Falke trying to intervene.

"I'll go and try him next." Gauron shoved Arbalest aside and got to engage the Falke next. The former tried to execute an overhead slash, but the Falke countered it by using his Crimson Edge to block it before it tried to fight back with a slash aimed for its body.

"Good..." Gauron chuckled, dodging one slash after another. "Very good, Al-Aziz!"

**"WARNING: Arm Slave's chest has been penetrated!" **The Codarl-I's AI warned Gauron, moments after the Falke stabbed its chest and forcefully pushed the Crimson Edge's blade inside. Minutes later, Gauron noticed that a white substance was already flowing into the cockpit.

_Must be buffer fluid. _Gauron began to grid. _Looks like they're working hard. _He then saw Sousuke charging to him next, slashing the Codarl-I's head unit vertically.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What's going on here?"

Mardukas entered the TDD-1's bridge, seeing the communications officer treat Tessa though she is still unconscious.

"Sir..." The comm officer spoke to Mardukas. "The captain fainted after she initiated an emergency blow to get the terrorist distracted. She hasn't woken up."

The British officer checked for Tessa's pulse on her right wrist. "I see. She's still alive."

"Sir!" The sonar operator yelled. "We've got the USS Pasadena on our tail and she's closing in on us!"

Mardukas gritted his teeth when he heard the news. _Damnit! Unless someone's doing something to save the TDD-1 and everyone else on this submarine, we're done for..._

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1058 Codarl-I

"Come on, Al-Aziz!" Gauron was having funny struggling with the Falke, trying to gain an advantage against him by using its own strength. "Let's have some fun!"

**"Damn you!" **He heard Ronald frantically struggling against his Arm Slave. It wasn't even helping him that the submarine was moving around, due to the storm above the Pacific Ocean. As such, it was giving Gauron the advantage he needs.

**"Gauron!" **Gauron saw the Arbalest charging to him with the GRAW-2 pointed at him.

_Kashim's back. This should be interesting. _Gauron shoved the Falke aside near the elevator and faced the Arbalest. In response, the white Arm Slave drove its GRAW-2 on the Codarl-I's waist.

"It seems Kashim has won..." mumbled Gauron, seeing more buffer fluid leak into the cockpit. "If that's the case, I'll go and play along with him 'til I can turn the tables on him."

With that, he allowed the Arbalest to push the red Arm Slave around while he manipulated the hands to grip the GRAW-2's handle.

* * *

Bridge, USS Bunker Hill, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Kalinin was now on the phone, speaking with an unknown caller. Jenkins, for his part, has his Sig Sauer P228 pistol lowered though he had his right index finger on it should he need to fire his weapon. Allen, on the other hand, was still on the ready and had his FN P90 submachine gun trained at the rear admiral.

_I wonder who he's speaking to? _Jenkins couldn't help, but wonder at MITHRIL's powers that they were able to secure a line for Kalinin to call to the outside world from the Bunker Hill's bridge. _It's audacious that he was able to get a call to someone despite me being in charge here._

**"I see." **Kalinin was still speaking on the phone to the other party. **"I see. The Rear Admiral's here. Yes, I understand. I'll call him right away."**

Kalinin handed the phone's handset. "Here, Admiral. The caller wants to speak to you?"

Jenkins was dumbfounded. _Er.. wha? Talk to me? Who the heck is on the line anyway? _"Alright, I'll take that."

"Commander..." Allen approached Kalinin, his hands ready on his P90 should the worse case happen. "Who was that?"

Kalinin merely smirked. "Someone who's willing to help us get out of this situation."

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Inside the hangar, numerous jets and helicopters were being wrecked as Gauron, Sousuke and Ronald continued with their three-way battle to protect the TDD-1 or die trying to do so.

**"Looks like I'm being cornered now..."**

Gauron was now slowly backing up towards the elevator with the Falke and Arbalest advancing towards him. It had been minutes since the two MITHRIL-made Arm Slaves had engaged the Codarl-I and had caused damage to the Amalgam-made Arm Slave.

**"Hah." **Gauron had the Codarl-I sidestep to his left when the Falke tried to stab his Arm Slave, directly into its cockpit when he grabbed the Falke's right hand and slammed him into the elevator.

**"Why you!" **Seeing that the Falke was thrown with its back on the metal floor, Sousuke went to attack the Codarl-I. But just as he was about to finally stab the Codarl-I's cockpit and kill Gauron in it for good, Gauron punched the Arbalest in the chest and shoved him to the elevator.

_Now that's a lot better. _Gauron smirked, admiring his handiwork when saw the Arbalest crash head first to the Falke. Now that both of them were on the elevator and lying down flat, Gauron moved his Codarl-I towards them and sat down on the Arbalest.

**"Guess what you guys..." **Gauron began to speak to Ronald and Sousuke. **"I'm about to take out this submarine with you two. Even though I lose, I wanna go out with style!"**

Gauron was then heard speaking to his Arm Slave's AI**. "Hey AI, set SDM to 120 seconds!"**

* * *

Cockpit, Plan1058 Codarl-I

**"WARNING!" **The AI gave out an immediate warning. **"Once you have activated SDM, it cannot be deactivated. Do you wish to proceed?"**

Gauron sneered at the AI. **"Moron, just do it already!"**

**"Understood. SDM mechanism initialization is now being launched..."**

_He he he... _Gauron grinned, feeling more buffer fluid trickle down his head and cheek. _I just can't get wait to die with Kashim and Al-Aziz. It'll be so much fun. Scratch that, IT'LL BE GLORIOUS!  
_

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"Commander!" The sonar operator checked his station's display. "The USS Pasadena's near us from direction 2-9-8..."

"And what happened?" Mardukas went over to check the display for himself.

"It's not firing any more torpedoes against us."

"Who could have it?" Mardukas stared at the dot that indicated the USS Pasadena, not engaging the TDD-1 in any hostile manner. _Was it Commander Kalinin who did all this? If it is, then we need to thank him after this fiasco's over._

* * *

Oval Office, Washington, D.C., Maryland, United States

George Sears, 43rd president of the United States of America, walked back into the Oval Office minutes after attending an emergency meeting with officials from both the CIA and the NSA regarding the situation with the Bunker Hill in the Pacific Ocean in the Situation Room.

"Have you already told them about the decision made by the Patriots?" An unknown man in his mid 30s, wearing a black business suit, red necktie with sunglasses on, was seated on one of the Oval Office's couches in the middle of the room.

"I did." George nodded, seated in his chair. _So he's a Patriots lackey eh? Probably here to check up on me. _"I relayed what they decided on during the meeting in the Situation Room. It should be taken care of as we speak."

"It's really strange though." The man said as he sighed. "I wonder what the Patriots have in mind regarding MITHRIL when they ordered Rear Admiral Jenkins to seize his attack on the Toy Box from the USS Bunker Hill via the USS Pasadena."

"Probably just another indirect way of settling things to follow the Boss' Legacy under Zero himself, though I heard that he's getting a bit too old."

The man raised an eyebrow at George, "I would agree. Leaving the things to those damn AIs. I'm not sure how well planned he was, but I have to say that Zero taught about everything very carefully."

George slowly nodded, feeling very sure of his answer. "I'm sure of it as well."

"That sounds very plausible." The man ran his hand on his brown hair before he stood up. "Well, I better go. It seems like I have to report back to another Patriots big wig representative again and tell them of how things went."

"Good luck Peter."

"Same to you, President Sears." Peter left the Oval Office, leaving George alone in his office.

_Soon, very soon. I'll get my revenge against all of the Patriots. All of them, and the US will be free from their grip. Just you wait, I'll carry on the legacy of Big Boss and crush them for good. Who knows, MITHRIL might even come in handy for that purpose in the near future.  
_

* * *

Elevator, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"Sousuke." **Ronald opened a comm channel between his Falke and the Arbalest, the elevator slowly going up to the surface. **"You alright?"**

**"Yeah." **Sousuke replied. **"Can you move?"**

**"I can. But first, we need to figure out how we can get Gauron off us since he's sitting on you, which makes it heavy for me to move since you're on top of me."**

**"My apologies..." **Sousuke apologized.

**"Not your fault, mate." **Ronald waved off his apology. **"We just weren't prepared enough for this kind of thing. First thing we need to do is to get him off us and I was wondering..."**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"What's happening out there?" Mardukas saw on the main screen that the flight deck was opened. "It's not a good idea to open the flight deck."

"I don't know sir!" informed the deck officer. "It's out of my league."

"Same here." added the aeronautical information officer. "I can't seem to stop it! It's like someone else is in charge."

Suddenly, Kaname's face appeared on the screen before it said the following.

**"DON'T WORRY! EVERYTHING IS GONNA HAPPY!"**

* * *

Flight Deck, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"Ha ha ha..." **Gauron was laughing after the elevator arrived on top of the flight deck, still seated on the Arbalest, which was on top of the Falke. **"It's nearing 30 seconds and you guys aren't struggling? Aww... it's making me sad."**

In response, Sousuke began to punch on the Codarl-I's waist. Each punch became stronger and stronger until the Arbalest was able to shove the Codarl-I off.

**"It's game time!" **The Codarl-I kicked the Arbalest and engaged the Falke, having their hands clasped against one another as each one tried to outmaneuver the other by using all of their strength to push them to the ground.

* * *

Cockpit, ARX-7 Arbalest

_What the? The flight deck's been activated. Did Kaname do this?_

Sousuke saw on the end of the flight deck a ghostly image of a familiar person. His eyes became wide open when he saw it. _It is Kaname... And I.. I understand what she wants me to do._

**"Hey!" **Sousuke got a hold of Ronald's frequency. **"I've got an idea..."**

**"I'm listening!"**

**"Let's throw him off the TDD-1."**

**"You mean, by using the catapults on the deck?"**

**"That's what I'm thinking."**

* * *

Flight Deck, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

**"All right! Let's do this thing!"**

The Falke began to wrestle with the Codarl-I, dragging it towards the catapult with the Arbalest helping along.

**"Let's pin him down!" **The Arbalest pinned the Codarl-I on its back with the Falke on the legs. The Falke swiftly drew out its Crimson Edge cutter once more.

**"Let me ask you something, Gauron." **Ronald contacted Gauron on the Codarl-I. **"The Philippine Stock Exchange bombings in the 1990s. Did you or did you not do it?"**

There was no immediate response from Gauron himself when they pinned him down. It took a few minutes before he said, **"So you were that kid I saw on the stairs of the PSE building after I helped the NPA bomb it? Now that was interesting..."**

**"So it was you!" **Ronald had the Crimson Edge on the Falke cut down the Codarl-I's legs. **"It was you all along!"**

**"A whimpering weakling kid like you was the Al-Aziz eh? That seemed to be extraordinary. I'm impressed!"**

**"Why? Why did you do it?" **

**"I'm just a businessman. That's all there is to it."** The Falke had finished slicing the Codarl-I's legs off, holding it down near the catapult.

**"Then I guess you're about to go bankrupt then!" **The flight deck's catapult system was launched, with the Codarl-I being pinned by both the Arbalest and Falke to ensure that Gauron wouldn't try to escape as he was still struggling even without his Codarl-I's legs.

As Gauron was being hurled towards the Pacific Ocean from the catapult, the Arbalest and Falke's XM18 wire guns were fired in unison towards the flight deck in order to avoid being thrown off as well to the Pacific Ocean.

**"I LOVE YOU GUYS!"**

Moments later, the Codarl-I exploded from the depths of the ocean in a blue flash of light.

**"SCREW YOU! YOU'RE NO FRIEND OF MINE!" **Sousuke shouted at Gauron after the Codarl-I went into the drink.

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Tessa had now woken up after she was knocked off by the turbulence in the bridge caused by the Emergency Blow order that she had given to Dana earlier.

"Captain!" Mardukas greeted Tessa, who had been taking command of the TDD-1's bridge.

"What happened?" Tessa asked her XO for any updates on their situation.

"The Arbalest and the Falke were on the flight deck fighting Gauron's Venom."

Tessa was shocked to hear the news. _Oh no! Are they safe? _The TDD-1 commander immediately shouted, "What happened to them? Are they safe?"

* * *

Flight Deck, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

The wet, right hand of the Arbalest clawed itself out of the Pacific Ocean and held onto the flight deck moments after it had been thrown a short distance away from the TDD-1 with the Falke due to the explosion of the Codarl-I as it had seemingly been destroyed via its own self-destruct mechanism.

After it had climbed onto the submarine's flight deck, the Arbalest in turn assisted the Falke in getting onto the deck by pulling its left arm towards him.

* * *

Cockpit, M9D Falke

**"Thanks, Sousuke." **

Within minutes of climbing up the flight deck, Ronald had his Falke assisted by the Arbalest when it placed its right arm underneath his since the waves were still choppy and the storm was still around.

**"I apologize for this, but there is a storm moving about. I can't risk going after you again in the waters since it's dangerous."**

Ronald panted, feeling the pain on the graze on the right side of his stomach. _Am I wounded now? _He looked down to see it changed into a wound with some blood flowing out.

_Damn! Gotta move. _He moved with Sousuke towards the flight deck elevator as the storm began to subside. When the two Arm Slaves were already on top of the elevator, it descended down towards the hangar as the hatches were beginning to close in order to cover the entire deck and the opening from the elevator.

* * *

Elevator, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

_I wonder if I'll be alright?_

Ronald began to contemplate on his wound as the elevator was still descending towards the hangar with Sousuke next to him.

**"Are you alright?" **Ronald noted that it was his AI, Anna, asking on his concerns.

**"I'm fine, Anna." **answered the Whispered SRT operator.

**"It seems that you're undergoing heavy breathing."**

**"Shut it..." **Ronald cringed, holding onto his wound before he allowed himself to be unconscious due to the rapid blood loss that his body was experiencing. _Damn it! Feeling a bit woozy, but I can't stand to it any longer. Must keep conscious 'til the end!_

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Tessa went with Mardukas to inspect the damage in the hangar done by the Codarl-I, Arbalest and Falke during their fight.

"It seems that most of our equipment is destroyed, captain." Mardukas saw that most of the destroyed equipment included wrecks of Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare and RAH-66 Comanche helicopters with BAE Harrier II GR7 V/STOL fighters in the mix. "It'll take some time to replace them all at once."

"I know that." Tessa took note of Mardukas' comments, before seeing the elevator fully descended on the hangar with the Arbalest and Falke. "But right now our priority is to secure the pilots of the Arbalest and Falke since Gauron's Venom was taken out."

"I'll get right on it." Mardukas responded, calling on two technicians to check on the two Lamba Driver-mounted Arm Slaves.

**"Captain!" **Sousuke called on Tessa via the Arbalest's external speakers. **"I've tried to get in touch with the Falke, but there's been no responding 2 minutes before the elevator was in the hangar."**

Tessa then heard a hissing sound that came from the direction of the Falke with its cockpit hatch opened. _It must've been opened by Anna, the AI of this Falke unit that Ronald had created during his R&D days with Bani..._

"Hurry!" McAllen was nearby, calling on some help from the other technicians to check on the Falke's cockpit hatch. He was the first to climb up the kneeling Arm Slave before he peered through its cockpit to see how Ronald was.

_Please let him be alive. Please let him be alive. _Tessa prayed and prayed, hoping that her fellow Whispered would still be alive.

"Captain!"

McAllen's loud shouting snapped Tessa out of her thoughts, seeing the Australian drag out a familiar face from the Falke's cockpit.

"Uruz 11's down! He's been bleeding for some time!"

"Someone get Dr. Goldberry here with a stretcher on the double!" Mardukas yelled out to nearby SRT enlisted personnel.

_What...what's happening?_

Tessa was now shocked at the sudden turn of events, sudden that she didn't know whether Ronald was still alive or not.

* * *

_Where...where am I?_

Ronald slowly woke up, but he stood up in a seemingly white space that was all around him.

_Everything's all white, from top to bottom. _He saw that he stood on the white ground. _Either I'm dead for good and they've buried me to the ground or my life's been an anime show for some other universe out there and I'm being mocked for dying in an unepic death._

"I'm afraid you're not dead, Ronald."

Turning around, the Filipino of Chinese-Japanese heritage saw that somehow, his father and mother had appeared before him.

"Mom, Dad!" Ronald had been glad to see them, though he knew that they were really dead. _But I'll have to face it, there are dead in the real world after all. _"What are you two doing here?"

"We saw the things that you went through." Ronald's mother, of Japanese origin, spoke first. "I was really worried after the bombing back in the 1990s on the stock exchange building. We also found out about your _status_."

"What do you mean?"

Ronald saw his mother glare at him. "Don't hide it, young man! You have that psychic thing." She then tried to think, "Um, what's it called again?"

Ronald then admitted defeat. "Fine, fine." He then sighed. "I can take a hint. I'm a Whispered. I can probably explain it, though I believe this isn't the reason the three of us are in here together."

"But in the end," His father, of Chinese-Filipino origin, came up to him and slapped his right hand on his head. "we're proud of you for the things you did." Ronald saw his father hesitantly scratching the back of his head with his wife watching him carefully. "With the exception of the _other_ things you did, like killing all the people with guns and all that..."

"Listen you guys..." Ronald interrupted the troubles brewing between his deceased parents. "Seeing as that I'm not being greeted by some divine being, _which I admit would be cool_, I guess that means I'm unconscious, right?"

"Guess so." The father shrugged his shoulders. "But your mom and I are here just to tell you that your time's not up yet."

"Oh yeah. That cliché." Ronald patted the right side of the stomach, where he had earlier been heavily grazed before it began to bleed. "I was shot here a while ago, but I guess I'm okay and all."

"Just remember." The mother spoke to Ronald, just spoke the latter that everything around him was fading despite the white space. "Live on. Don't go and die a needless death. Besides, isn't there someone waiting for you?"

"Ka-san!" Ronald yelled out to his mom. "What are you-!" The Whispered was not able to ask his mother's form as he saw that his body was also fading away to nothing.

* * *

Ronald's Room, Medical Center, Merida Island

_Wha..._

Ronald slowly opened his eyes, noticing that he was lying down in a bed with a white blanket. Placing a hand on his face, Ronald noticed that he was out of his beret and balaclava. _Yep. I'm still flesh and blood._

"Thank goodness you were awake."

He saw that Tessa was seated next to him, who was smiling at him for obvious reasons.

"Um..." Ronald felt his cheeks were burning at the close proximity that he was in with Tessa. "Hello there."

"Hello." Tessa greeted back.

"How long was I out?"

"For a day."

Ronald stared at the ceiling. "I see. What happened when I was unconscious?"

"Well..." Tessa began to explain to her Whispered subordinate. "After we got back to Merida, Dr. Goldberry got you here to the medical center with Mr. Kazama as well. I, for the meantime, debriefed Admiral Borda with the other officials with Commanders Kalinin and Mardukas checking the damages on TDD-1 and holding a debriefing for the personnel."

Ronald sat up and tried to relax. "Okay." He felt Tessa place her left hand over his, her thumb rubbing its palm.

"Commander Kalinin told me that we'll launch an operation due to this incident."

Tessa was then questioned by Ronald. "Will I be able to join in?"

The young officer answered. "Dr. Goldberry told me that you need at least until tomorrow morning to see if your wound was okay before she can discharge you."

Ronald merely nodded. Tessa kept running her thumb on his palm, making him blush a bit. _I haven't felt that since my younger days with mom._

"I was worried when I saw you bleeding on your right side." She used her right index finger to touch the area where Ronald's former wound had been under his white shirt.

"I'm sorry..." Ronald whispered, clutching the blanket.

"No need to worry." Tessa shook her head and whispered to Ronald. "As long as you're still alive."

"But the question is, how was the TDD-1 hijacked?"

Tessa had a worried look on her face before she told Ronald, "Intelligence had gotten word that Dr. Gallagher committed suicide back in Sydney with a note saying that he was forced to come up with a program that made Dana corrupt."

"You mean THE Dr. Gallagher?" Ronald was surprised. "But why?"

"From what I heard, he needed the money Gauron paid him to help his children's high school education."

"Bastard." Ronald hissed. "And did he even care that we'd die that day? Did he?"

Tessa bit her lip. "In the note he left, he said that he later regretted the decision when he got word from Intelligence about the TDD-1 being hijacked..."

Ronald then stared at the doorway to see Melissa actually standing, in her usual black A-shirt and her olive green BDU pants, slowly walked in. Tessa and Ronald hear the soft sound coming from her boots. When she was standing near Ronald, the Chinese-American didn't say anything else except to raise her right hand and violently slap him on his face.

* * *

Somewhere on Merida Island

"You hear that?"

Kurz, Sousuke and a now unmasked Shinji were walking in a corridor somewhere in Merida in their SRT uniforms. The three of them cringed in fear after hearing the loud slap.

"I have a feeling that it's someone we all know..." Sousuke said, answering Kurz's question.

"Speaking of someone..." Kurz placed a hand over Shinji's shoulder. "It's about time you tell us what happened ever since we had to part ways from Zanzibar Land, Shinji."

* * *

Outside Ronald's Quarters, Merida Island

Ronald sighed heavily, who had been discharged recently after being cleared since his wound had been healed. He gripped on the door's handle, thinking about the unexpected.

_What now? Achie Melissa just slapped me in the face yesterday, in front of Tessa of all people. Geez, I wonder if any chances of communicating with my cousin's gone down to zero._

Just as Ronald stepped into the room, he found someone waiting for him.

"Achie!" Ronald was shocked to see Melissa, already waiting for him inside.

"Well?" Melissa questioned her younger cousin, raising her left eyebrow. "Are you just going to stand there all day or what?"

"Er, right..." Ronald meekly excused himself, closing the door to his quarters behind him.

"Look." Melissa sighed. "I'm sorry that I slapped you hard in the face..."

"It's alright." Ronald replied."

"Wha?" Melissa was taken aback. "That quick?"

"I guess..." Ronald scratched the back of his head. "I should be the one to apologize. I mean, I didn't get the chance to contact you after what happened."

Melissa only stared at her cousin. "What happened to you after the stock exchange bombing?"

"Please." The Whispered SRT operator closed his eyes before he inhaled and exhaled his breath. "I don't feel like talking about that right now. I'm kinda tired."

* * *

Somewhere in Makati, Philippines

A blonde woman in her 20s was talking to another party in a cellphone in a busy afternoon near the bustling Ayala Center.

**"I already told you." **The woman told the caller on her cellphone. **"I just want to know if I'll be relocated somewhere else after spending a few days in the Philippines. I took a lot of trouble getting away from those MITHRIL intelligence agents that tailed me after they got word of the TDD-1 hijacking."**

**"Relax, Ms. Jenny**** Bruno." **The caller assured her. **"We'll call you on the details as soon as we can. My organization took some time to get their agents in the Australian and Philippine immigration departments to immediately clear you of any delays since MITHRIL had their intelligence agencies in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions on the alert."**

**"Hmph." **Jenny huffed. **"As if that's reassuring that I'd be still alive until now."**

**"That or we can just plant evidence for MITHRIL to follow that you're here and have them capture you. Your choice."**

Jenny pondered on the threat for a few seconds before she replied, **"Fine. It's better than being caught back in Sydney."**

**"Excellent! I'm so glad that you can agree with my proposal."**

**"Alright, I'll be in touch."**

* * *

Briefing Room, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Ronald was now in the briefing room alongside Shinji. Since they were unmasked after being taken back to Merida Island for treatment after the TDD-1 hijacking, the two had decided that it was in the best interest of their comrades and their superiors if they had their real faces revealed. For that, their balaclavas were in their pants pockets and their Zanzibar Land Guards berets underneath their BDU's shoulder straps.

"According to intelligence provided by our Philippine branch," Kalinin pointed out to the assembled PRT and SRT operators a map of Makati City displayed on a board behind him, with some of them glancing at Ronald and Shinji while listening at the same time. "our target is believed to be holed up in the city by her unknown benefactors for at least 2 days now after fleeing from Sydney, Australia."

"Pardon me." Kurz raised a question, seated next to Melissa and behind Sousuke. "But did I just hear right that our target is Jenny Bruno of MITHRIL's human relations from Sydney?"

"As much as I would like to not believe that..." Kalinin replied, telling his subordinate the same feeling that he felt about hearing one of their own being an ally of Gauron next to John and Guen. "Intelligence's Australian branch have pointed out that Ms. Bruno was one of Gauron's contact, next to Dr. Peter Gallagher from R&D."

Melissa pondered on the earlier minutes of the briefing. _If I still remember, Dr. Gallagher helped Tessa construct the TDD-1. But yeah, it's pretty hard to believe that he helped Gauron take over the TDD-1 by developing a rogue program. I guess in the end, the one with the biggest paycheck's the winner for the day._

"I can't believe this." Sousuke whispered to himself. "Even though most of us are mercenaries, it's pretty hard to think some people like Ms. Bruno and Dr. Gallagher helped Gauron hijack the submarine."

"Our job is to infiltrate this building located near the center of Makati city." The board then showed a 3-D diagram of a high-rise building somewhere in the city, with a certain number of floors being shown. "We'll head there by night and under the cover of ECS. Once there, disable the building's security system and get to the target alive, not dead. I'd like to make that point clear."

"Everyone." Tessa stood up from a chair near the board. "Please try to take Jenny Bruno alive to the best of your abilities. This is a direct order from your captain, not a request. We need her alive in order to ascertain who gave her the order to assist Gauron in hijacking the submarine with Sergeant Danigan and Corporal Guen. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Tessa then pointed out Lieutenant McAllen to everyone in the room. "This will be Lieutenant McAllen's last day with us." Almost all the enlisted SRT and PRT personnel groaned when they heard Tessa mention the announcement. It had been a shocking moment for MITHRIL personnel assigned to Merida Island when an order from the General Council came that McAllen will be transferred out to another division, though since under MITHRIL's Combat Division, due to the events that led to and after the TDD-1 hijacking. Though Tessa had offered to take responsibility, McAllen stood up to the council and surprised them when he told them that he would take punishment and would accept anything from it since he said "I have been partially a failure for what happened to the TDD-1 to the fact that some of the culprits were my own subordinates from the SRT."

"He'll be transferred out under instructions by Admiral Borda." Tessa continued to explain to her subordinates. "Though where he'll be going is under his discretion."

McAllen stood up and faced his SRT and PRT subordinates. "As this would be my last day, I'd like to thank each and everyone for going a good job in and out of the field." He then shifted his gaze to Sousuke, Kurz, Melissa and Lian before he faced Shinji and Ronald, seated behind them. "Especially for what happened back to the TDD-1. What you guys did back there took a lot of courage and guts. I hope that all of you will continue to do your job to the best of our abilities."

The Australian faced Tessa and Kalinin before he gave them a salute. "I'd like to thank you both for being such great superiors, despite the problems that I'd face with the TDD-1 crisis and the transfer orders issued to me by Admiral Borda. I wish that there'd be more of them like you." He then addressed Kalinin first. "Commander Kalinin." Afterwards, he then focused his attention to Tessa. "Captain Testarossa."

"Attention!" Melissa shouted, making everyone stand up from their seats since she had the highest rank among the SRT and PRT enlisted. "Salute!"

* * *

Armory, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Entering the armory, Ronald was greeted by the sight of Sousuke, Kurz, Shinji and Timothy inside the room. They sat down on a long table preparing their side arms.

"Didn't expect all of you to be in the armory." Ronald was stunned to see his fellow SRT operators preparing their firearms for the upcoming mission as they had been told by McAllen that the operation would be ready by tonight.

"We all have to do our part, right?" Timothy said, getting his Heckler and Koch UMP45 submachine gun ready when he testing its cocking handle. "Besides, we need to get that traitor back."

"Yep. That's right." Kurz was busy checking on his Walther WA2000 sniper rifle. "If we can get to her alive, then she'll be able to spill the beans on who hired her to help Gauron."

"So, Kurz." Ronald took a seat near the German SRT operator. "You're doing sniper work?"

"Only for the first phase." Kurz shrugged his shoulder. "I was told by Commander Kalinin that two guards are patrolling the helipad of the building where Ms. Bruno's staying."

"But later on," Sousuke continued on, making sure his Steyr SPP submachine gun was ready. "he'd join us for the assault in the rest of the other phases."

"That seems to be understandable." Taking his seat, Shinji passed to Ronald an Uzi-like weapon that had a green-colored body with a Picatinny railing and a permanent foregrip before he went back to check up on his Milkor BXP submachine gun. "Here. Claude said that it arrived today in the afternoon for you."

"A CBJ-MS submachine gun." Ronald took the weapon and examined it. "Resembles the Israeli-made Uzi in design features."

"I hope you like it." Shinji pushed the rest of the MS' accessories and magazines towards him. "I got the rest of the stuff here too."

Melissa entered the armory, hastily opening the door without announcing her presence.

"Oh look at that..." Timothy began to hastily prepare his UMP45 before he got his tactical vest and pistol leg holster with him. "Our lovely Sergeant Major's here."

"That reminds me!" Kurz gathered up the WA2000 and his own tactical vest with him too. "We better get the stuff ready in the hangar! Mission's about to start!" Sousuke and Shinji, for the same reasons, hurriedly gathered their gear before they left the armory.

_Great. _Ronald mused on the fact that he was now alone in the armory with his older cousin. _I'll have to beat the sh-t out of the guys when I'm through with this particular mess of mine._

"So this means that you're going on the upcoming mission?" Melissa asked her cousin, taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah." He eyed Melissa placing a cigarette stick into her mouth. "And if you have to smoke your cigs, don't do it near me. You should know that people nowadays are dying from second-hand smoke."

"Fine." Melissa sighed and placed the stick back into her pants pocket. She watched Ronald get his MS SMG ready. _Never knew that he was competent in firearms handling._

Ronald went to work on getting the Swedish-made weapon into operational use. "Since I found out that you're Uruz 11," Ronald listened to his cousin's thoughts, placing an Aimpoint scope on the MS' Picatinny railing. "I'm really worried about you being deployed with me for this snatch operation."

"Don't worry about me." Ronald insisted, slapping a 100-round drum magazine onto the MS. "I've got some good mentors that taught me to survive." He then pulled the cocking handle to chamber a single 6.5 mm bullet. "Well, looks like I better finish up here soon."

Melissa nodded. "I see." _It seems that he's insistent. _"I'll see you later then."

* * *

Somewhere in Quezon City, Philippines

"Aw, come on! I just got here! Why can't I earn a break with my hunnies here?"

A bald man in his early 30s, wearing a white trench coat over a brown business suit, was yelling to a man in his late 20s wearing a black business suit and red tie with brown hair near the Shangri-La Hotel.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Gates." insisted the suit-wearing man, being nervous before the man known to head a personal cell of elite mercenaries called the Execution Squads in and around Amalgam's various circles. "But Mr. Gold has insisted that you head out to Makati in the evening. Intelligence believes that someone may attempt to snatch Ms. Bruno from the country."

Gates sighed. _What can I do for this case? I can't argue with Mister Gold. _"Is this an order?"

The man nodded. "I'm afraid so, sir."

"Good thing I found you here, Mr. Gates." Gates's Asian-looking henchman, known to Amalgam as Subordinate A as he never personally revealed his name to them, approached the bald man from behind and attempted to tap at his left shoulder.

WHACK!

Unfortunately for him, Gates is always on the defensive and since he's an Amalgam agent, he couldn't afford to let his guard down. So as part of this instinct, the bald man delivered a backfist to Subordinate A's face when he hurled his clenched fist. The attack was quite powerful that the Asian man tumbling on the ground.

"Oh dear!" Gates gleefully smirked, turning around to see that Subordinate A was on the ground. "I'm so, so sorry about that! I didn't mean it! I thought you were just some secret agent or perhaps a special forces commando trying to kidnap me like those Mossad agents that did a snatch operation back in the 1970s and 80s..."

The brown-haired man sighed and facepalmed himself. He was only left to question the wisdom of their unseen leader, the head of a terrorist organization that makes its money by selling various weapons to countries and organizations.

_I just wonder if Mister Gold is making the right choice to send out this...this psycho out there?_

* * *

Hangar, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

Nora had been busy for the past few minutes conducting maintenance checks of the Arbalest and Falke since they were not to be used for the upcoming snatch operation to abduct Jenny Bruno and bring her back to the TDD-1 in order for General Mayer Amit, an Israeli MITHRIL officer and ex-Mossad agent, to send out interrogation specialists to Sydney and grill the now ex-human relations officer. Though relations between the Combat and Intelligence divisions are not always smooth, it doesn't mean that they would cooperate in order to achieve the organization's goals of securing and protecting Whispered and to combat nations and organizations that seek to use them for their own ends.

"Just make sure to have all the damaged parts for the Arbalest and Falke replaced when they get here." The blonde scientist handed a clipboard to one of the maintenance technicians dispatched by Lieutenant Ed Sachs to help Nora assess if Arbalest and Falke are still operational after the two Arm Slaves confronted the Codarl-I a few days ago in the TDD-1.

She spotted Ronald, already in his balaclava and donned in his tactical vest, Orihalcon Armored Muscle Suit with his pistol leg holster on his left leg, was approaching the hangar's elevator.

"Um, hey." Nora greeted Ronald, the latter stopped from going towards the elevator. "I didn't think that you'd be in the upcoming operation."

"I volunteered actually." Ronald answered, then eyed Nora carefully. "You know, I was going to ask you why you were trying to rush in back there." He gazed at the ground, unable to look at her directly.

"Oh?" Nora blushed, remembering the event. "That one, you say?"

"But it's alright, really! I understand that you were trying to help." Ronald waved his hands around, trying to persuade his friend regarding the hijacking situation. "But I have to go." He grabbed the tucked Zanzibar Guards beret from his tactical vest's front pocket.

"I see." Nora placed a comforting hand on his right shoulder and placed a smile for him. "Good luck with the mission."

Ronald nodded. "Yeah, I know." He then donned the Guards beret. "Now if you excuse me, I have a job to do. And next time, don't put yourself into things where you're not competent in."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

"We're now approaching Philippine waters, captain." Kalinin informed Tessa, watching on the screen their position and their proximity near Philippine waters. It was a good thing that their ECS equipment was in operation since the least thing they want is to either be detected by the Philippine Coast Guard or by United States Philippines forces in Subic Bay and the Philippine Navy.

"Have the hangar elevator ascend to the surface once we're near the South China Sea." Tessa gave her order to Mardukas, who was standing beside her like Kalinin was.

"Aye, ma'am!" Mardukas replied. "Ready the hangar elevator after we arrive near our designated point!"

"Aye, sir!" replied the deck officer.

"Conditions outside the TDD-1 are favorable." reported the aeronautical information officer, studying the display. "Winds are calm, no signs of a major system approaching us."

"TDD-1 has not been detected by Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Navy and the USP forces in Subic Bay." The combat intelligence officer reported.

"Captain." Mardukas spoke to Tessa. "It seems that we're fortunate enough that American and Philippine forces didn't detect our presence."

"I see." Tessa replied. "It is quite fortunate indeed."

* * *

Elevator, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

Two Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mares helicopters were placed inside the hangar's elevators, slowly making its way towards the flight deck surface. Inside the choppers were 2 teams that consisted of 4 members each. One chopper consisted of McAllen, Shinji, Lian and Timothy. The other consisted of Sousuke, Kurz, Melissa and Ronald. Ronald's presence in Melissa's unit had been placed under her insistence when she made the request to McAllen and Tessa so that she can keep an eye on him on the field. Since she knew that Uruz 11 was her cousin and was an SRT operator, she'd like to see how'd he do in the field.

The journey towards the surface was a slow and tedious one as the order to use the elevator and ascend had started only 2 minutes after Tessa passed her orders to Mardukas.

* * *

Cabin, Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare

Sousuke and Kurz were busy chatting to one another as the elevator was still ascending towards the surface. Melissa, on the other hand, observed her masked cousin and the beret that he wore. _Kurz told me that the beret Ronald's wearing is from the Zanzibar Land Guards. One of the elite special forces units formed during the country's independence war against a USSR-led coalition army by mercenaries. If I recall, he mentioned that he volunteered to work with them...  
_

She merely watched Ronald unload the 100-round drum mag from the MS SMG before he loaded it back and peered through the Aimpoint scope already mounted on its railing. _That...was interesting. _Melissa watched Ronald check the New Nambu M-57A that was holstered on the pistol leg holster strapped on his left leg. She noted that Ronald ejected the custom 18-round magazine and twirled it with ease on his fingers before he replaced it back onto the pistol. _How did he do that?_

After Ronald replaced the M-57A, he unholstered the Manurhin MR-73 Gendarmerie revolver from his vest. _What the heck's he doing this time? _Ronald swinged out the cylindrical chamber from the frame and twirled it twice, which made Melissa fascinated towards him. _I never knew that Ronald had this side of him..._

"Hmm..." Ronald noticed that Melissa had been staring at him assessing his weapons, reholstering the revolver. "Achie," He whispered to Melissa. "is there something that you want to say to me or not?"

Melissa was a bit embarrassed when she noticed that Ronald was asking her why she was staring at him. "Ah! Sorry!" When she noticed Sousuke and Kurz eyeing her, Melissa waved them off and told them that it was nothing.

Ronald reclined back in his seat. "I suppose that you're going to tell me why you were looking at me for the past 5 minutes or so?"

"Ummm..." Melissa scratched her cheek, feeling a bit embarassed. "Well, you see Ronald..."

"Don't worry." Ronald sighed. "I'm not mad at you or anything. I just wanna know why you were staring at me while I was checking my weapons?"

"Well..." Melissa began to think up of an explanation. "I didn't realize that you were _the _Al-Aziz that I heard of when I joined MITHRIL." She then eyed the MR73 holstered on his vest. "I never realized that Al-Aziz, veteran of the Zanzibar Land Independence Wars turned out to be my own cousin."

Ronald was taken a bit aback by what Melissa had said. _So maybe that's the reason? She never expected me to be the feared Al-Aziz in the mercenary world. _"I get it now."

"Wait-"

"There's no need to worry about it. It'll be fine, don't get so worked up about it."

"Alright, you guys!" yelled the MH-67 pilot. "We've reached the surface. I suggest that you better buckle up."

"You heard him!" Melissa barked at Sousuke, Kurz and Ronald, taking the buckle straps and fastened them on her lap.

"Okay!" Sousuke was the first to fasten his buckle straps in an instant.

"You got it babe!" Kurz grinned at Melissa, about to place his buckle strap when she drove a fist on his head. "Ow!"

"Do something like that again and I swear that the first thing I'll do after this mission is over is to toss you out towards the city streets." Melissa growled.

Ronald sighed, fastening his own buckle straps when he heard Kurz pretending to feel offended by Melissa's threats. "Aw, come on now. I'm sure that you wouldn't do that to me, yes?"

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

"Gebos 3 and 10 are ready to go, captain!" The deck officer reported back to Tessa after seeing in his display that the elevator reached the top of the flight deck safely without any delay. "They're waiting for the word."

"Alright! Have them depart at once!" Tessa ordered, standing up from her chair. "Get the chart table ready, Commander Kalinin. I feel that it could be useful."

"Understood, captain." Kalinin went to work to have the chart table rise from the floor behind the captain's chair. "I'll get right on it."

Tessa then relayed her next order to the bridge crew. "XO is in charge of first phase under Operation Snatcher." The silver-haired girl walked to the table next to Kalinin.

"Aye, ma'am! XO on watch 'til end of Operation Snatcher's first phase!"

Once the table had been completely risen from the floor, Kalinin unfolded several maps that showed the target building in Makati. It showed the layout of all its floors, with indications of several landmarks such as elevators and fire escape stairways.

"This building is quite different from the other high-rise buildings in Makati City." Tessa commented, studying the building's blueprints. _But then again, they are different in their interiors._

"Indeed, captain." Kalinin showed Tessa another map, showing the building's floor layouts. "I've already debriefed the SRT and PRT personnel already deployed in the field, but this building has a wide array of defense systems that are meant to combat any intruders. So it's a way, it is pretty unusual."

Tessa studied the floor layouts that Kalinin had showed her. _This isn't right. While maybe CCTV cameras are the usual norm for building security, this one has laser grids, heavily armed security guards, various electronic lock systems and infrared light beams. Whoever planned this all out is really serious in protecting whatever assets they hold in the building._

"Are you all right, captain?" Kalinin saw that his superior was a bit worried when she was going over the layouts. "You seem a bit troubled."

Tessa shook her head. "I'm all right, Commander." She eyed the floor layouts in order to locate the security room. "It's just that I'm wondering if Lieutenant McAllen and the others will be able to make it out alive since the enemy has planned a lot of obstacles to potentially hinder their progress." _Especially Ronnie. I just hope he can make it out of this one._

Kalinin eyed the layouts himself, seeing as to what Tessa was trying to tell him. "I understand what you're trying to tell me, captain. But don't worry, they've been issued with devices that should be able to defeat some of the biometric devices planted there."

The captain nodded. "I hope so." _But then, a potential issue could be doors that require magnetic ID Cards._

* * *

Somewhere in Anchorage, Alaska, United States of America

"A-achooo!"

David cleared his nose by using his right index finger to clear its nasal passage. Running his left hand on his brown hair, he zipped up the brown bomber jacket close to his neck and placed his naked hands on his jacket pockets after running his right hand to check his semi-unshaven face.

"Damn, what was heck was that?" David, aka Solid Snake, mused to himself. "Either it's getting cold around Anchorage or it's just because someone's referring to what I did back in Outer Heaven and Zanzibar Land..."

Wasting no time to stand around in the freezing afternoon, David walked away from outside a convenience store before he went to a nearby bus stop and sat down on a metal bench to wait for a public transit bus to arrive.

Chapter 21 END

PS - I apologize for the late update. My trip to Vegas, coupled with me playing DW6 and Battlefield Bad Company is responsible for it. In fact, I'm thinking of using the latter for my CG fanfic, if and when I can get around it. Hmmm... perhaps I can do a filler story or two to cover the time. One will be Zanzibar Land-centric and the other will be a Las Vegas-inspired story.

If you peeps want to throw ideas for the filler FMP stories, PM me or shoot me a review though the former is a preference. Anyway, there's only one more chapter to go and this fic's done. I promise that I'll try to make it as epic as I can possibly can in my capacity. I really promise that I'll hold my word on this. Hopefully I can wrap the entire story up or else. Otherwise...

And yeah, I'm using the female Bruno from the FMP: Sigma manga too for the entire story. She wasn't given a first name, so I made one up for convenience's sake for her. I'll perhaps throw in the two gothic-wearing girls too from Sigma too if I can. If I'm right as well, they didn't have names as well.

Just for the record, the CBJ-MS SMG was first created by SAAB-Bofors in the 2000s before SAAB dropped it since the British army didn't like it anymore for the requirements of a PDW. CBJ Tech AB later took over production, but I heard no buyers so far. What makes this unique, aside from a Picatinny rail and a foregrip, is the 6.5x25 CBJ-MS ammunition. It can be used to defeat CRISAT body armor, so it's very nasty like 5.7 and 4.6 ammo used for the FN P90 and HK MP7 respectively, though it can be chambered to use 9mm Parabellum ammo too by changing the barrel and return springs.

Almost forgot, chapter title is from the Street Fighter Zero 3 Soundtrack.


	22. Taste of Dirt

Full Metal Panic: Overwatch

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of the Full Metal Panic! series are under the copyright of Shouji Gatou/Koichi Chigira/Yasuhiro Takemoto, GONZO Studios, Kyoto Animation Studios and Kadokowa Shoten. All other characters are under the copyright of their respective owners. Ronald Chua (and other subsequent characters) is only under me though. If I had control of the series, there would've been a better resolution at hand without McAllen ever dying, not to mention an extended scene in which Sousuke and Kaname were fishing in Merida Island.

Summary:

MITHRIL launches a snatch operation to avenge the hijacking of the TDD-1 by apprehending Jenny Bruno, human relations officer of MITHRIL believed responsible for collaborating with Gauron to allow John Danigan and Guen Bien Bo to capture the submarine. Will she be caught or will she be killed? Stay tune to this chapter for the conclusion of Overwatch.

Chapter 22: Taste of Dirt

Rooftop/Helipad, Unknown Building, Makati, Philippines

All was quiet on the helipad on a building somewhere near the center of Makati City. Two security guards were doing a patrol in the area, armed with Heckler and Koch MP5A3 submachine guns with their index fingers resting on the weapon's trigger housing.

Everything had seemed to be quiet, nothing out of the ordinary. One of them took the time to adjust his ballcap on his head when he was shot in the chest by a 7.62 NATO bullet. When his colleague came to check on him, he too was shot in turn by the another bullet of the same caliber in the head.

There was an booming echo sound that resonated in the area for a few minutes after each shot before it dissipated.

* * *

Cabin, Sikorsky MH-67 Pave Mare, over Unknown Building, Makati, Philippines

"All right!" Kurz had then slinged his Walther WA200 sniper rifle before he drew out his FN P90 submachine gun, tightening his grip on the weapon. "Guards on top of the Oakville building are down! Let's do this!"

"Don't forget to get your comm headsets on!" Melissa reminded her group, putting on her comm headset and wearing the assault glasses. She then turned on night vision mode before she rappelled out of the chopper, followed by Sousuke, Kurz and Ronald.

* * *

Inside 2000 Kia Sedona GQ, en route to Oakville building, somewhere in Quezon City, Philippines

"Curse this Philippine traffic!"

Gates, seated in the front passenger seat of the Kia Sedona GQ with Subordinate A doing all the driving, were nearing the bridge that connects Quezon City to the city of Makati, which was dubbed by financial analysts as the _Wall Street _of the Philippines.

"We can't do anything about this traffic, Mr. Gates." implored the Subordinate. "Especially since the roads are pretty clogged up since it's a Friday evening."

Gates raised an eyebrow and aimed his CZ-75 pistol at the man's head. "Then I suggest... that you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!"

"Come now..." Gates hearing the disappointed sigh of Night Sight, unmasked and wearing his lime green TTsko BDU. "Do you think killing him will allow us to get to our destination faster?" questioned the Vietnamese mercenary.

"Get used to this kind of thing when you're in the Philippines, Gates." The Amalgam agent looked behind him to see Tim McLeish, a British mercenary of Scottish origin and former SBS commando.

"Whatever." He scoffed at one of the four Ultra Box assassins in civilian clothes, still aiming his pistol at the subordinate's temple.

Fred Vickers, American mercenary and ex-US Navy SEAL operator, reminded Gates of his actions. "Don't try to do anything stupid, Gates. You'll give us unwanted attention."

"He's right, you know." Theodor Merkel, a German mercenary and former GSG-9 operator warned Gates as well. "As if the traffic won't do us any good."

"Now with that all over now." In the rear seat of the South Korean-made van, James Hoon groaned as he was trying to sleep. "Can we just concentrate on the mission at hand? It won't be good to any of us if our subordinate's dead to us, Gates."

"Fine." Gates holstered his sidearm, responding to the request of the other British mercenary and ex-SAS operator. "I was trying to intimidate him anyway."

* * *

Rooftop/Helipad, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"We're all accounted for, it seems." McAllen was the last to rappel from the second MH-67 after Shinji, Lian and Timothy had been the first ones to rappel. Kurz and Sousuke checked on the dead guards while Ronald prepared some silent C4 explosives to be used on the rooftop door.

"Seems the guards were already neutralized." Shinji wore his assault glasses and activated night vision as soon as he got down on the helipad while ensuring that his Greek-made Elliniki Biomihania Oplon (EBO) MP5A3 submachine gun was slinged on his left shoulder. Lian and Tony wore their assault glasses as well, already set to night vision.

"I'm done with the explosives!" Ronald shouted, positioning himself on the left side of the door. Kurz, Sousuke and Melissa came behind him while McAllen, Shinji, Lian and Timothy were on the right side of the door.

"Do it!" McAllen gave to go for Ronald to detonate the silent explosives.

* * *

Somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Hmmm..."

Jenny Bruno, ex-MITHRIL human relations officer in her mid 20s, thought that she heard something tumble on the ground after something echoed a bit from the ceiling.

_At least there won't be any other people in the building since most of the floors used for office work are closed after 8 in the evening..._

Patting the hidden bulge within her jeans, the blonde woman had a smirk adorned on her face.

"Looks like my piece's still with me."

* * *

Staircase Landing, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Area's clear..." Ronald whispered, observing the area after he was the first to arrive on the landing. He took off the glasses and placed it over his head after turning off night vision. The other MITHRIL operators did so likewise, seeing that the corridors nearby still had light.

"Alright." McAllen debriefed his subordinates. "We'll split off from here. I'll lead my team to locate the building's security room and hopefully cut off all of the security measures in place." He then pointed to Melissa. "You guys will scout the place and locate the target."

"Understood." Melissa replied.

"Be sure to take her alive, you hear?" McAllen went separate ways from Melissa, leading his team to locate the security room.

"Ok guys." Melissa told her squadmates. "Let's locate the target and get out of here."

* * *

Security Room, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

Inside the room, three guards were busy watching the feed coming from the surveillance cameras posted throughout the Oakville building from the monitors. All of them were armed with Sig Sauer P229 pistols on the pistol holsters placed on their belts.

One of the guards was watching the feed of an MP5A3-armed sentry standing guard in an area for approximately 5 seconds. The monitor-watching guard took his eyes off for another 5 seconds just to rub his eyes after he swore that dust got into his left eye. After he rubbed it off, the guard turned his attention back on the monitor and saw that the guard had disappeared from his spot.

He merely shrugged his shoulders, thinking that he was patrolling another area.

* * *

Corridor, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

Kurz dragged the said guard after the camera had not focused its attention on the blonde mercenary, grabbing him by the neck and forcefully dragged the guard down the corridor where the camera could not see him.

"I see that you got him." Sousuke casually said, seeing the guard struggle from within Kurz's arms.

"Yeah." Kurz replied, keeping a firm grip on his victim. "He seems to be a handful."

"Allow me." Retrieving the dropped HK MP5A3, Ronald retracted the weapon's buttstock before he swinged it like a baseball bat and struck the guard's gut real hard. The guard then fainted.

"Okay." Ronald discarded the MP5A3 in his hands. "We better search him."

"The guard doesn't appear to be hired from the usual agencies." Kurz observed the guard's uniform. "Based from that fact, it could be the owner's own security forces."

"You're right about that." Ronald noted that the guard didn't have patches or insignia on his uniform. "Probably a private guard hired out to weed out troublemakers and intruders."

"I'll do it." Melissa kneeled down next to the unconscious guard and began to search his pockets. "Cover me guys."

"Right." Sousuke replied. He and the others provided perimeter security as Melissa continued to search the pockets of the guard's uniform from his pants to his shirt until she found a keycard.

* * *

Inside 2000 Kia Sedona GQ, en route to Oakville building, somewhere in Mandaluyong, Philippines

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Mr. Gates."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"NOOOO!"

The Ultra Box assassins sighed, wondering how long will they be sane enough before they would either arrive at their destination or decided to brandish their weapons and gun down Gates to death for being so noisy and impatient over the overwhelming traffic that was stopping them from reinforcing the armed guards of the Oakville building, especially since it was an Amalgam safehouse.

"Should we bother?" James asked his fellow Ultra Box assassins.

"Nah." Night Sight mumbled, sleeping in his seat. "Better than to have a violent Gates on our hands."

"Fine. I'll sleep on this too."

* * *

Corridor, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Timothy, with his HK UMP45 and McAllen, with his FN P90, were able to secure the corridor after descending a couple of staircase landings to locate the security rooms after interrogating enemy sentries to gather the data that they needed.

"No enemies around here, sir." Shinji whispered to McAllen, carefully scanning the area as his EBO MP5A3 was held firmly. "Must be on patrol."

"Which is why we need to be careful with our movements." McAllen himself scanned the area before he gestured to his squadmates. "Let's move. Hopefully, we can search the area and find the security room."

* * *

"Did you hide the body?"

Melissa was the first to lead her team down another corridor, cradling her P90 in her arms.

"Took care of that." Ronald answered. "Stuffed it in a janitor's chest. Gagged him a bit too and used his cuffs on his wrist too."

"Good work."

"Hold it." Sousuke stopped his teammates, seeing cameras panning the corridor ahead with a metallic door ahead.

"Damn." Kurz cringed upon seeing the obstacles. "Are they surveillance cameras?"

"I'll take a look." Sousuke flipped the assault glasses down and activated thermal vision. "The cameras emit infrared beams. Two on each side of the wall."

"Then it's a challenge to get through them." Ronald commented, seeing that the metallic door has a number painted on it. "And furthermore, the door ahead has a number. Has a number 5 on it."

"I have the card." Melissa twirled a Level 5 card on her hands. "But who's going to have the honor and get through the beams?"

The four MITHRIL mercenaries pondered on Melissa's suggestion, wondering who should be the first to get through the infrared beams and access the level 5 door.

"I'll take the lead." Sousuke took the card from Melissa's hands and eyed the cameras and door, still using the glasses over his eyes.

* * *

In another corridor somewhere inside the Oakville building, two guards armed with HK MP5A3 submachine guns were on patrol. Keeping themselves vigilant, they noticed that nothing was out of the ordinary aside from a laser grid with red beams emitted out from the walls, which lead to another place in the building.

The two men passed through a doorway that led to a conference room, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. The door creaked quietly and out came McAllen and the rest of his squad, intending to take the armed guards by surprise on their rear.

"Don't move!" McAllen warned the guards. They immediately complied and placed their hands up as their weapons were slinged on their shoulders. Shinji and Timothy moved up in front of the guards and began to check on their pockets with Lian maintaining rear security.

"Check their pockets carefully." McAllen reminded his subordinates, maintaining aim of his FN P90.

"Found some key cards sir." Shinji told McAllen.

"Interrogate them about the location of the security room." McAllen ordered Shinji and Timothy to interrogate the guards, who were being disarmed of their weapons. "And get rid of them when you're done."

"Sir!"

* * *

Inside 2000 Kia Sedona GQ, en route to Oakville building, somewhere in Mandaluyong, Philippines

Everyone inside the van groaned when Gates happily told them about the pictures of the kittens he had with him.

The Ultra Box quartet and Night Sight either groaned or decided to look outside the van. The subordinate, on the other hand, was the victim since Gates happily forced pictures of his beloved pets right near his face.

They were lucky that it was still traffic in the area though they were nearing the end of the bridge that would take them to the city bounds of Makati.

* * *

Corridor, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Here goes..."

Waiting for the thermal cameras to all face the center of the metal door in front, Sousuke went for the right side of the wall and leaned his back against it. He moved slowly, but quick enough to make sure that the infrared beams wouldn't touch him.

_Now if the timing is right, the infrared beams from the cameras should then aim at different angles, but not at the door. _After Sousuke got a visual confirmation that the beams were not aimed at him, he inserted the level 5 keycard and waited for a beeping sound to confirm the card's use.

"Just follow my lead, guys." Sousuke called up on his teammates, watching the area behind the open door as he provided his group some security in order to protect them in case armed guards should ever find them while attempting to infiltrate past the infrared cameras.

* * *

Security Room, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

As usual, the three guards were busy conducting monitor checks on all the surveillance and infrared cameras to check if any intruders were visually seen prowling anywhere in the building. Seeing as no one was in the area aside from Ms. Bruno, who was walking around the upper floors of the Oakville building to relieve some stress, everything had seemed to be in order.

"Pare, punta muna ako sa banyo!" One of the guards said, making sure that his P229 was in his belt holster, before he made his way towards the entrance.

"Sige! Balik ka pagkatapos mo magbanyo." The second guard inside made his way towards the firearms rack, checking on the HK MP5A3s that were placed in the shelves.

* * *

Outside Security Room, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"I guess this is it." mused Lian, seeing the sign outside a room that said SECURITY ROOM in bright, black letters on a white sign. The Singaporean PRT operator was positioned on the right side of the door with Timothy behind him. On the left side, Shinji was near the doorframe with McAllen behind him. "So far, so good. We weren't detected yet."

"Right."

The team were still stacked up near the door when the guard came out of the security room. Upon seeing the armed men outside, he quickly tried to reach for his sidearm when Shinji was about to lunge at him...

* * *

T-Corridor Intersection, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Glad you all made it." Sousuke commented, watching Kurz successfully past through the infrared cameras while he was in the doorway as the others don't have a level 5 keycard.

"Boy, that was close." Kurz exhaled his breath rapidly, feeling a bit nervous from hugging the wall beneath wall in order to avoid being detected. "I almost felt like some character in a videogame trying to go all stealth and no brawn."

"Wait, you guys..." Melissa told the others to keep quiet. "I hear someone coming close here..."

* * *

Near T-Corridor Intersection, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Did I just hear someone chatting around here..." Jenny was alarmed to hear other voices. "Unless that someone who came up here without me being told by the fellows in security, I think it's an intruder..."

The blonde drew out her compact BERSA Thunder Ultra Compact 45 pistol from her jean's waistband. Holding the pistol in a Weaver grip, she carefully observed her surroundings while being on the alert for anything out of the ordinary. Melissa walked slowly with the sound of her shoes squeaking a bit on the tiled floor.

_I hope this is merely a false alarm. Just the thing I need to be stressed out for the day.  
_

* * *

Inside 2000 Kia Sedona GQ, en route to Oakville building, somewhere in Makati, Philippines

"Finally!" Gates yelled, happy that the traffic was now gone. "Now that we're here..."

"Yes, I know Mr. Gates." sighed his subordinate, trying to concentrate on driving the Sedona GQ. "I'll get us there as fast as we can."

The Zanzibar Land Independence War veterans, for the most part, were now sleeping in their seats as they were not interested in listening to the bickering of Gates and his Asian subordinate.

* * *

Outside Security Room, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

Being at arm's length, Shinji had grabbed the guard's left arm with his left hand before he struck his stomach with his right elbow. Positioning himself on the guard's left, Shinji hurled him over his shoulder before he punched the downed guard in the face. He was then knocked out cold after Shinji drew out his FN Barracuda revolver from his tactical vest and whipped him with the weapon on his left temple.

"Everyone, move in!" McAllen yelled to his squadmates to move in and seize control of the security room.

* * *

T-Corridor Intersection, somewhere in Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

Jenny arrived at the T-corridor intersection, unaware of the fact that Ronald and the others were staying in case an armed guard were to pass by. Their plan was to grab him from behind and interrogate him about the target before he was to be incapacitated.

But for their case, it was their lucky day.

"Grab her!" Melissa yelled. Kurz immediately tackled her in the legs. Ronald dashed next and pinned her on the ground when he shoved Jenny's left temple on the tiled floor.

"Damn it!" Jenny yelled, struggling to get free. "You all think that you're all warriors of justice, huh? You're all for the media to admire..."

"I had enough." The Chinese-American mercenary sighed. "Better restrain her."

"Understood." Ronald calmly replied. Grabbing a pen-shaped syringe from his vest, he twirled it on his right hand before he placed it on the blonde's neck and pressed a button that inserted a needle on her neck. Its contents were then injected to the victim's neck, rendering her out cold.

* * *

Security Room, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"Don't move!" Lian was the first to enter the room, Timothy followed while aiming his UMP45 at the surprised guards. Shinji and McAllen followed behind.

Instead of surrendering at the overwhelming numbers, one of them made a grab for his P229 while the other ran towards the gun rack and grabbed an HK MP5A3.

"Fire!"

Shinji gunned down the P229-armed guard with his EBO MP5A3 when the former was about to fire his weapon at him. Timothy quickly fired his UMP45 at the second guard, killing him in a few seconds. The dead guard then slumped on the wall, his blood splattered on it.

"Good work, everyone." McAllen praised his team for a job well done. "Disarm the security for our exfiltration!" He then began to radio Melissa while Lian and Tony were busy disabling the building's security system. **"Uruz 1 to Uruz 2. Come in, over."**

**"Uruz 2 here. We've been able to secure the target."**

"Sir!" Lian went over the monitors to see the Sedona GQ that was driven by Gate's subordinate arrive at the building's Basement 1 underground parking lot. "I think we've got company..."

McAllen went over to the monitor that Lian pointed out his commander to see Gates, his subordinate emerge out of the van with Night Sight and the Ultra Box team fully armed and ready to the teeth.

**"Uruz 2. Uruz 2. This is a priority! Get out of the building with the target now! Rendezvous with Gebo 10 on the helipad ASAP! We've got incoming enemy reinforcements..."**

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

"It seems to be going smoothly." Kalinin commented, seeing the indicator on the screen that Melissa's team were now moving floor by floor towards the helipad with McAllen following.

"I know." Tessa replied, glancing at the screen Dana was providing before she glanced at the Oakville building's plans. "Let's just hope that they won't have any obstacles on the way."

* * *

Basement 1 Underground Parking Lot, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"What happened?" Gate's subordinate called out to the nearest guard, who had been waiting at the basement parking lot for Gates and the others to arrive.

"We've lost contact with the security room around 3 minutes ago." The guard told the subordinate. "We weren't able to raise them, so I've sent out our tactical units to check the area."

"And we were late too." Night Sight sighed, scratching his balaclava. "So what now?"

"We wait..." Gates sighed, tapping his left foot. "And see if they'll give us any results..."

* * *

Corridor, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"It's a good thing that they provided us a route already planned out..." Melissa commented, seeing a route already planned on her assault glasses' HUD with a white arrow providing the directions needed to get out. "Okay. We make a turn here after we turned right from getting out of the fire escape stairs."

"I do hope this can get us towards the staircase that we used a while ago, sis..." Kurz grumbled in frustration, carrying the unconscious target on his right shoulder. "Besides, why do I have to carry her?"

"No time to complain, Kurz." Ronald maintained the squad's rear security, being on the lookout for armed guards that could try to pursue them. "We gotta leave before we get anymore trouble."

"Get back!" Sousuke yelled, seeing two teams of armed guards coming towards them from both sides of the corridor. Unlike the regular ones, they were fully equipped with PASGT helmets and ballistic goggles worn over their black balaclavas. They had black BDUs and tactical vests and were armed with Colt M4 assault carbines.

"Crap!" Ronald cursed, seeing the guard teams had ballistic shields protecting their fronts. "They've got ballistic shields and we're being cornered..."

"Can those bullets of yours pierce them?" Kurz asked, already grabbed his P90 slinged on his left shoulder with his left hand while holding the unconscious woman carefully on his right shoulder.

"Maybe, but I don't know." Ronald whispered, feeling the tension as the guards were about to kill them before automatic gunfire erupted from the rear of one of the guard teams in the rear of Melissa's squad followed by the explosion of a fragmentation grenade. _Dammit! Unless there's something that can happen, I think we're all doomed!_

"It's Uruz 1!" Sousuke yelled, seeing McAllen cut down the last guard from his squad's rear.

"Duck!" Shinji yelled. Melissa and the others followed their cue and tried to stay out of the gunfire by laying prone or in Kurz's case, crouching the best he can without being shot in the head. Melissa and Kurz fired their P90s while Sousuke and Ronald hurled frag grenades towards the second guard team.

"Takbo!" One of the guards yelled, sending them to a panic when the grenades exploded. Its shrapnel killed most of them while the others were wounded.

"Move it!" Melissa yelled, getting up on her feet. She, Sousuke and Kurz evacuated with the German grabbing the unconscious Jenny on his right shoulder en route to the helipad. Ronald elected to stay behind with McAllen and the others in order to finish off the wounded guards by firing short bursts from their submachine guns at their bodies, killing them for good.

"Damn..." Kurz mumbled to himself. "It's only a miracle that I survived being shot with the limited space that we had back there..."

* * *

Basement 1 Underground Parking Lot, Oakville Building, Makati, Philippines

"WHAT!" Gates yelled his heart out, hearing the guard report back when he was contacted by radio that the guard teams had sustained casualties. "Did...I just hear that right from you?"

"I'm...afraid so, Mr. Gates." The guard was a bit nervous. Gates drew out his CZ 75 pistol from his shoulder holster and shot the guard on his left leg in a fit of anger.

Gates then walked up to the wounded guard and grabbed his uniform's collar before he yelled at him. "Didn't your mommy tell you to always listen to what she asks you to do?"

"Mr. Gates!" The guard yelled, feeling the pain on his leg. "You...you just shot me! Aggghhhh..."

"You should've listened to mommy when she told you what to do!" Gates shook the guard, still holding his collar while maintaining his hold on his sidearm.

"Wait a second..." When the other guard tried to approach Gates, the bald man quickly aimed at his head and fired at it, killing the second guard instantly and dropped dead on the asphalt in a second.

Gates then gave the wounded guard a weird stare before he smiled. "And that's why you shouldn't make mommy angry." With that, he raised his CZ 75 and fired another shot at the guard's head. The other surviving building guards were nervous and scared, stepping a few feet away from him, some of them had their pants wet by this event.

"Is this how he does things?" Theodor, in his Ultra Box assault gear, asked Gate's subordinate. "Because I think he'll be a liability in the near future..."

The subordinate sighed. "I'm afraid so..."

* * *

Bridge, Tuatha De Danaan-1, somewhere in the South China Sea

"Operation's a success, captain." Kalinin reported to Tessa, being told by the communications officer that she received word from Gebo 10 that McAllen and Melissa's team were safely exfiltrated with the target. "The target's been captured alive. No casualties from our men, but they did encounter some resistance even though they didn't alert the building's security forces..."

Tessa felt relieved upon hearing the news. _Thank goodness... _"Did they say anything else?"

Kalinin shook his head. "I'm afraid not captain."

Tessa nodded. "Very well. We head back to Merida Island as soon as Gebo 10 lands back here. Is that clear."

"Understood, captain."

* * *

Oval Office, Washington, D.C., Maryland, United States

George Sears was in a meeting with a African-American man in his late 40s, wearing a white dress shirt and a red necktie. _I just hope he has something for me. _George noticed that the man had a short mustache and was a bit bald on the front side of his head.

"I hope to hear about this proposal of yours for the NSA, Colonel Irving Lambert." George reclined back in his chair.

"Of course, President Sears." Irving handed a folder with the stamped seal of the NSA. "This proposal of mine would give the NSA the capabilities it need when it can't do operations through passive means."

George opened the folder and read its contents. "You mean through the use of good old espionage like the early days of the Cold War?"

"Yes." Irving nodded. "I was influenced by the success of the FOX unit when they infiltrated the USSR to stop the Boss." He stopped upon saying the Boss' name since it was a known fact that she was a hero for winning WWII on the Allied side despite being known to assist a renegade Soviet officer named Volgin in attacking the country's own design bureaus.

"I see." George felt the same way about the Boss. _If she were here now, she could probably give me a hand here. _"So this unit would conduct its activities by physical means, but backed by weapons and high-tech equipment?"

"Indeed, Mr. President." Irving replied. "I just hope that this would give the NSA an upper hand against foreign governments and groups that would try to undermine American national security by using sophisticated digital encryption to conceal actual threats."

"Alright." George took a pen and signed at the bottom part of the first page. "I accept your proposal to activate this unit." He then handed the folder back to Irving. "Start preparing the agency as soon as you can. Inform the NSA director about this."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Irving stood up from his chair. "I'll do my best to lead this agency."

"By the way," George hurled a question at the ex-Army officer. "what's this agency called?"

Irving coughed a bit, clearing a throat before he replied. "Third Echelon."

* * *

Training Grounds, FOXHOUND Headquarters, Camp San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States of America

Liquid sighed, watching the recruits tackle an obstacle course as part of their indoctrination into FOXHOUND. He sighed when he saw some of them fall on the muddy ground after they fell a few feet from the high ropes course.

"There you are." Liquid turned around to see a 17-year old Eurasian boy with Caucasian and East Asian features, the latter being seen with his complexion and facial features and his hair having a brown color. "I was wondering if you're going to watch."

"Yeah, I'm fine." The boy shrugged his shoulders. "It's not everyday that I get to see the newbies trample on our obstacle course."

"Well said Specter Wolf." Liquid gave a grin. "Or should I say, Michael Kanzuki?" Moments later, his grin turned to a frown when he heard one of the recruits complain about his stomach and his need to go to the bathroom.

"Oh god! My stomach! Out of the way! I need to use the bathroom! Move it!"

"Who was that?" Liquid asked Michael, seeing one of the FOXHOUND recruits wearing a plain Woodland BDU rush from the training course towards the nearest bathroom in FOXHOUND HQ. Several of the recruits had been pushed, shoved or for some, fell to the mud with their faces first as the masked FOXHOUND soldier made a mad dash for the entrance, not giving any pleasantries to either officers or any of the civilian visitors who were going in and out of the building.

Michael sighed. "I believe that was Johnny Sasaki, though I think his full name's Johnny Sasaki Slater."

"THE JOHNNY SASAKI?" Liquid was alarmed.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. His grandfather served with the GRU during the early days of the Cold War."

"Ohh..." Liquid mused. "Whenever I hear that name, I always assume that the family's cursed since they have the need to go to the bathroom and relieve themselves. That's what worries me."

The Japanese-American shared his superior's opinion. "I guess you're not the only one who thinks that way."

"Then the biggest problem would how he'd be doing during a combat op."

* * *

Conference Room, Special Execution Agency Headquarters, North Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada

**"Greetings to all!"** Eve greeted Billy, Sheila, Nicklaus, Samuel and Michael inside the SEA's conference room via teleconference with her image made black as usual to protect her identity. **"I'd like to ask about the progress that you're going through regarding the recruiting of new agents for the Phantom teams."**

"We have some luck." Billy replied, having been assigned as the agent in charge of selecting potential SEA recruits after going through an interview, physical and medical examinations. "We've got some candidates so far, but we're going to weed them out even further after two more weeks."

**"I see." **Eve replied. **"Billy, let me know how things are going with the recruits after that, alright? I have a feeling that we'll be expecting more trouble than usual in the near future."**

**"Understood, Eve."**

* * *

Conference Room, SAS Headquarters, Hereford, Britain

Clark was with Alistair and Bill inside the SAS HQ's conference room, the three RAINBOW officers on a discussion regarding the latest attack on Perio Islands.

"So it seems that we have a formidable opponent on our hands." Clark said, massaging his temples. "Especially with the recent raid in Perio."

"Indeed." Bill replied. "So far, the only thing we've come up with the investigation to the Perio attacks was only a name. Amalgam."

"Amalgam?" Alistair mused. "That's a process when mercury's mixed with another alloy."

"I did wonder myself if there's a reason why that name was used." Bill explained on the word.

"Since MITHRIL's named after a metal," Clark then stepped in, having pondered on Bill's report. "I was thinking if Amalgam is trying to send a message since it can destroy MITHRIL as it's a metal from the Lord of the Ring series."

"Good theory there." Alistair complimented Clark on his thoughts. "If MITHRIL were a real metal, then Amalgam could symbolize the time when it can be destroyed."

"The way you speak there, Alistair." Clark eyed his XO. "It sounds like a religious prophecy or something."

"Errr..." Alistair began to panic. "I'm not trying to, you see..."

Clark sighed. "Forget it. I was trying to point out something."

* * *

Aircraft/Arm Slave Hangar, Merida Island

"We're almost late!"

Shinji yelled to Ronald, dashing inside the hangar with their SRT uniforms worn over their Armored Muscle Suits. Today was the day that Lieutenant Gail McAllen was to be reassigned due to the TDD-1 hijacking. As a means of thanking the Australian man for serving in Merida, Tessa gave the order to all TDD-1 personnel to head straight for the hangar in order to attend a special ceremony.

"Yea. I can't help it if I oversleep!" Seeing that most of the TDD-1 personnel were already in formation, the two SRT operators were in time to line up with their other SRT peers as Melissa was busy having to command them for the ceremony. Shinji and Ronald donned their Zanzibar Land Guard berets before they lined up with their fellow SRT comrades.

"Glad you guys can make it." Melissa saw from the entrance that Tessa was in the hangar. Mardukas and Kalinin were with her, followed by McAllen with a MITHRIL beret. Ronald took a glance and saw that some of his peers either had berets from MITHRIL or from their national militaries. He gave a grin when he saw that Melissa fully buttoned her uniform.

(Play Harry Gregson-Williams - Old Snake)

"Attention!" The assembled TDD-1 personnel stood at attention, waiting for Tessa, Mardukas and Kalinin to be in front of them.

"At ease, everyone." Tessa ordered. After she gave the order, the captain proceeded to speak. "I'm sure that most of you know that is a farewell ceremony for Lieutenant Gail McAllen, who will be transferring to the Mediterranean Sea Fleet." She saw some of her subordinate have a worried look on their face. "Lieutenant McAllen now has something to say to all of you."

McAllen stepped up next to Tessa and cleared his throat before he talked to his subordinates. "I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for being such good subordinates in and out of the field. I had the pleasure of working with all of you during my days here in Merida and in the TDD-1." He felt a tear leak from his eye, but brushed it off. "As the captain had said, I'm transferring out to the Mediterranean Sea Fleet. I... don't have a speech ready. But the only thing I'd like to leave with you all is to remember to do your duty to the fullest of your abilities as the last defenders of world peace. The Cold War's still raging on and we're the only few who can maintain the balance between the West and the East. I hope that all of you will remember that."

"Presenttttt Arms!" Melissa shouted to the assembled formation. Immediately, the TDD-1 personnel gave McAllen and the other officers a quick salute.

The Australian smiled and rendered his now former fleet subordinates a salute of his own.

* * *

Somewhere in Manila Memorial Park, Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines

Riding on a 2001 BMW R1150 RT motorbike in a metallic grey finish, Ronald was riding it towards the Chua family mausoleum a day after arriving in the Philippines from the farewell ceremony that the entire TDD-1 fleet had rendered McAllen.

_Good timing too. Today's the death anniversary of mom and dad. _Flipping the visor of his BMW Sport Integral helmet, Ronald gripped then handlebars of his R1150 RT as he further accelerated it towards the Chua Mausoleum in hopes of meeting his relatives on time.

_I wonder..._ Ronald made a right turn upon arriving at a four-way intersection. _I wonder if Achie Melissa's going to be there?_

* * *

Outside Chua Family Mausoleum, Manila Memorial Park, Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines

_Just made it! _Having parked his R1150 RT, Ronald hailed a woman in her 30s selling flowers and paid her.

"Looks like you made it after all." Ronald turned around, seeing Melissa emerge from a 2000 Ford Expedition. "I never thought that you'd come here, after what happened to your folks."

"There are things that you can't run away from," Ronald went up the steps of the mausoleum and placed it on the tomb of his parents. "and this happens to be one of them."

Melissa followed him and waited outside, watching her cousin pay his respects by burning incense when he lit the sticks before he knelt with both knees on the ground.

_I can't believe my eyes. Until now, I never realized that my cousin's a mercenary who fought in Zanzibar Land under Big Boss and yet, he's been able to live both sides as a mercenary soldier and a civilized person._

"Are you the first to be here?" Ronald asked his cousin, standing up from the tiled floor.

"Yea." Melissa replied. "Angkong and Ama are coming back later. They're visiting some friends of theirs. Uncle Jerry and Aunt Lucy are with them."

Ronald stared at the sky. "So that means the others are coming later."

Melissa nodded.

"I see." Ronald then walked the steps down the mausoleum.

"Where are you going?" Melissa asked, seeing Ronald walk away from the mausoleum, though he didn't go back to his motorbike.

"Just a walk down this road." Ronald pointed the way for Melissa.

* * *

Road, near Chua Family Mausoleum, Manila Memorial Park, Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines

"It's such a good day." Ronald inhaled as he felt the breeze around him. "Even better, it's not the smell of pollution back in the cities."

"I agree."

Ronald was startled by another familiar voice and turned around to see Tessa in a plain white shirt with jeans on. "Hi..." She smiled and waved hello.

"Um, hello..." Ronald was confused. "What are you doing here? I thought that you're in Merida, checking the TDD-1?"

Tessa smiled and held his left arm. "I thought I'd come and see you while I pay my respects. I needed some R&R anyway..."

"I don't know..." Ronald sighed.

"Well." Tessa playfully tugged his arm. "It's my first day since I came to the Philippines." She titled her head and faced the Whispered SRT operator. "I was wondering if you'd care to show me around the country for a little tour."

"How long are you going to be here?" Ronald asked Tessa.

"Hmmm..." Tessa wondered, thinking about his question. "Just a week."

The black-haired teen smirked. "Well, I guess I don't mind showing a pretty lady like you around."

"Thank you." Tessa held his left hand and gripped it tightly. "Thank you, Ronnie."

Ronald looked down at the ground, his cheeks red as Tessa continued to walk around the Manila Memorial Park with her friend in tow.

It was a beautiful day out there and nothing was going to stop them from enjoying it.

(End Harry Gregson-Williams - Old Snake)

THE END

PS - Chapter title is from the upcoming episode 17 of Code Geass R2. As I end this fic, I humbly ask all my readers that you review the chapter and let me know how I did overall. If I did bad, let me know where and I'll look at it. Flames that attack the story/author for nonsense reasons will be used for the fireplace. Apologies for a late update as I've been playing Devil Summoner and the Soulless Army and I've been watching a new American-Canadian police drama called Flashpoint. Canadians can watch it at CTV while Americans can see it as CBS. Watch it, it's pure awesomeness for the first episode for the sniper takedown! I've finished playing MGS4 and I gotta tell ya, it brought out the manly tears in me especially with Big Boss. I also used the original name Johnny Sasaki Slater as his supposed real name before Kojima-sama decided not to use it, but I'll use for my universe anyway here.

To those unfamiliar with Fookien/Minnan, Angkong and Ama is used to refer to our grandparents with the former meaning grandfather and the latter meaning grandmother. Achie is how you call an older female relative/family friend/sibling. I think I've said this a lot of times, but there might be others who don't read up on this part in the previous chapters...

Oh, props to the music Old Snake from the MGS4 OST. One of my favorites when I played the game. Anyone liked it too? XP

To blackwolf, I hope the cameo of Micheal was okay! Thanks for letting me use him for a bit.

Anyway, I'll take a break from doing multichaptered stories for now. I'll be doing some for sure in the following after this chapter get published with the following titles that I'll do for sure:

Black Lagoon  
Darker Than Black  
Megami Tensei  
Kamen Rider  
Ultimate Force  
Battlefield: Bad Company  
Metal Gear

The next multichaptered story will be in the Code Geass subcategory. Before then, I'll try and put on 2 filler stories in the Full Metal Panic! subcategory. One, like I said in the previous chapter, is a Zanzibar-Land centric fic since I'd like to do an interpretation of how Sousuke and Kurz got their combat skills. Another will be a Las Vegas-based one before 2nd Raid. I haven't decided on the titles yet though. But if you guys want to toss ideas/suggest titles, feel free to review or PM me though I prefer the latter.

For now, some translations. Of course for my Pinoy readers, feel free to correct me here too since I suck at the subject back in my student days... So embarrassing, I don't know why (Hides under bed.)

"Pare, punta muna ako sa banyo!" - I'm heading to the toilet, pal/dude/friend/whatever lingo you use for a buddy.

"Sige! Balik ka pagkatapos mo magbanyo." - Okay! Head back when you're done in the toilet.

"Takbo!" - Run!


End file.
